DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for the  (a) reporting and  (b) publication of the Board of Inquiry report into the destruction of the Hercules Aircraft on a landing strip in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Board of Inquiry continues to work to determine the cause of this event. The findings of the Board will be released as soon as possible after conclusion of the inquiry; a redacted copy of the report will be made available on the MOD website.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which officials in his Department are involved in reviewing the need for further research using live goats, as part of the contract renewal process.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the names in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many months the  (a) 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh (The Royal Welsh Fusiliers),  (b) 1st Battalion The Scots Guards,  (c) 19th Regiment Royal Artillery,  (d) 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and  (e) 39th Regiment Royal Artillery will have been on operational duty at the end of their immediate future tour in Afghanistan over the last 30 months; and how the harmony guidelines are applied to (i) those units and (ii) the armed services in general.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 2 March 2007
	Information on how many months each unit will have been on operational duty at the end of Op. Herrick 6 over the previous 30 months is shown as follows:
	
		
			  Ser  Unit  Months on operations 
			 1 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh 10 
			 2 1st Battalion the Scots Guards 6 
			 3 19 Regiment Royal Artillery 12 
			 4 5 Regiment Royal Artillery 6 
			 5 39 Regiment Royal Artillery 12 
		
	
	Army harmony guidelines are that individuals should not exceed 415 days of separated service in any period of 30 months. At unit level, tour intervals should be no less than 24 months.
	The decision on who should deploy is made by Joint Commitments in consultation with Headquarters Land Command, ratified by the chain of command.
	Royal Navy harmony guidelines are that no individual should exceed 660 days of separated service in a three-year rolling period. Over a similar time span, ships or other units should not be deployed for more than 60 per cent. of their time.
	Harmony Guidelines for the RAF are based on formed unit tour intervals rather than individual personnel, whereby formed units, or sub-elements within them should spend four months on deployed operations followed by 16 months at base.
	The RAF Individual Separated Service assumption is that an individual should spend no more than 140 days of duty detached away from home in a rolling 12-month period. This allows for a four-month operational tour followed by three weeks of separated service due to routine tasks, unestablished commitments, unit assistance, pre-detachment training etc.
	These are guidelines only and there will be shorter tour intervals where operational demands require it.

Armed Forces: Families

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many people his Department employs for liaison with the families of armed forces personnel; and what aspects of service life and issues these staff are responsible for dealing with;
	(2)  how much has been spent on family liaison in 2006-07.

Derek Twigg: The welfare and community support of service personnel and their families is core MOD business. This includes family liaison, which has always been exercised by personnel who have command responsibility as an integral part of their duties.
	Each of the three services has robust structures in place to support and liaise with families and service individuals; the support offered is wide-ranging and tailored to the requirements of the individual concerned. Examples of this include the support provided to families when the service spouse is deployed on operations. In such circumstances, units organise families' briefing sessions, coffee mornings, crèches and community social events. Assistance is also provided to enable families to keep in touch with their loved ones through the provision of publicly funded internet and email terminals at local community and education centres.
	Specialist charitable organisations such as the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmans' Families Association and the Army Welfare Service are also available to offer assistance. Services offered overseas include the running of the confidential helpline and the provision of contracted community support, some medical care and social work elements. In the UK, they may come into contact with families for a whole host of reasons. The issues dealt with span the full spectrum of service and private life issues that may affect individuals or families from time to time.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties his Department leases from Annington Homes; where they are located; and how much his Department spent on  (a) leasing and  (b) maintaining and refurbishing them in each year since 1996.

Derek Twigg: As at 25 December 2006 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) leased 41,831 properties from Annington Homes. The contract with Annington Homes was signed on 5 November 1996.
	The service family homes leased from Annington are spread across some 540 sites in England and Wales which serve RAF stations, Army Barracks and Naval bases, as well as Reserve Forces and Cadets Association centres. Some are official residences. A more detailed breakdown of the location of these properties will take more time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member when this has been done and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	The Ministry of Defence spent the following amounts on leasing family quarters from Annington Homes Ltd.:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1996 16.80 
			 1997 110.96 
			 1998 109.03 
			 1999 107.87 
			 2000 112.48 
			 2001 115.42 
			 2002 122.34 
			 2003 130.76 
			 2004 130.91 
			 2005 136.43 
			 2006 142.42 
		
	
	Rent was calculated from 5 November 1996 to 24 December 1996 for the first year and from 25 December to 24 December for each subsequent year.
	The information in respect of maintenance and refurbishment of properties leased from Annington Homes is not available for all years, as it was collected and managed by individual Housing Directorate regions and their contractors in differing formats. However, the MOD spent the following amounts:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 123.0 
			 2002-03 92.0 
			 2003-04 103.0 
			 2004-05 (1)91.6 
			 2005-06 (1)109.2 
			 (1) Includes upgrade expenditure of £10.2 million (2004-05) and £21.1 million (2005-06) although some of this may have been expended on houses still owned by the MOD.

Armed Forces: Officers

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers who attended the Higher Command Staff Course in each year between 1997 and 2006 remained in the armed services 12 months later; and how many are still in the armed services.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the number of officers who attended the Higher Command Staff Course between the years of 1997 to 2006; those who remained in the armed services 12 months later; and those who are still serving as at 1 January 2007.
	
		
			  Year of course  Number attended course  Still serving after 12 months  Still serving as at 1 January 2007 
			 1997 20 20 10 
			 1998 20 20 10 
			 1999 20 20 10 
			 2000 20 20 15 
			 2001 25 25 20 
			 2002 20 20 15 
			 2003 20 20 20 
			 2004 25 25 20 
			 2005 25 25 20 
			 2006 25 n/a 25 
			 Grand total 220 n/a 170 
			 n/a = Not applicable.  Note: All numbers are rounded to nearest five. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not equal the sum of the parts.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the first Panther Command and Liaison Vehicles to be accepted into service; how many such vehicles he expects to be in service; and to which units he expects them to be deployed;
	(2)  what the fuel consumption of a fully kitted-up Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is when used  (a) on surfaced roads and  (b) off-road.

Adam Ingram: On current plans a total of 401 vehicles will be procured. First deliveries are planned to take place at the end of 2007. It is currently intended to deploy Panther to Training Establishments, Brigades and the Remainder of Field Force Users and RAF.
	The fuel consumption of a fully kitted-up Panther vehicle when used on a surfaced road is estimated to be 6 km/ltr when travelling at a constant speed of 80 km/h. The off-road consumption is estimated to be 2 km/ltr.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Deployment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions two or more  (a) Challenger 2,  (b) Warrior,  (c) FV430,  (d) Sabre,  (e) Samaritan,  (f) Samson,  (g) Scimitar,  (h) Spartan and  (i) Sultan vehicles were used in operations while on deployment in (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan, (iii) Kosovo and (iv) Cyprus in each year since 1999.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Incentives

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what conditions a British Army recruit is eligible for a Golden Hello pay bonus.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 5 March 2007
	"Golden hellos" are incentives paid to aid recruitment into specific branches of the Army where there are manning shortfalls. Recipients may be direct entrants or internal transferees. To qualify, an individual must be a UK passport holder and possess the academic or vocational qualifications required by the trade/branch they are seeking to join.

Astute Class Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his timetable is for a decision on whether to order Astute class SSN boat 4.

Adam Ingram: Three Astute Class submarines are on order with BAE Systems (Submarine Solutions), and further boat orders are currently being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with Industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.

Astute Class Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost of Astute class SSN  (a) boat 1,  (b) boat 2 and  (c) boat 3 is; and what the original expected costs were.

Adam Ingram: The contract with BAE Systems is for the design and manufacture of three Astute Class submarines. The NAO's Major Project Report for 2006 reported an expected total cost of £3,656 million against a recosted approval of £2,578 million.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a gender  (a) strategy and  (b) equality action plan in place.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 5 March 2007
	The Ministry of Defence has a unified philosophy towards equality and diversity. In support of this approach the MOD Diversity Panel, co-chaired by the Permanent Under Secretary (PUS), and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and which includes a mix of internal and external members who have a range of experience in diversity issues, have endorsed a Unified Diversity Strategy. This strategy provides the strategic framework and incorporates our Diversity Vision; Diversity Mission; Objectives; Working in Partnership; Taking Responsibility; Complying with the Legislation; communicating and Building Commitment; Measuring Progress and the Business Case for Diversity.
	In April 2006, we published our first overarching MOD Equality and Diversity Scheme 2006-2009, together with a set of Action Plans for 2006-07. The Scheme encompasses the armed forces, civilians, the Ministry of Defence police and our executive agencies. This Scheme reflects not only the Department's statutory duties in respect of race, disability and gender but also those diversity strands not yet covered by specific public sector duties (age, sexual orientation and religion and belief).
	Our first annual Action Plan included our gender equality priorities. We will be publishing a report against the targets that we set for 2006-07 later in the year as well as issuing a new Action Plan for 2007-08. The Defence Analytical Services Agency will be collecting statistical data on the recruitment, retention and progression of women. The aim of all this work is to achieve real improvement in outcomes for the various diversity groups.
	Copies of the documents referred to are available in the Library of the House, and also at:
	www.mod.ukDefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/EqualityAndDiversity/MinistryOfDefenceUnifiedDiversityStrategy.htm
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/Personnel/EqualityAndDiversity/EqualityAndDiversityScheme20062009.htm
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/What WeDo/Personnel/EqualityAndDiversity/Equality AndDiversityScheme20062009ActionPlan20062007.htm

Departments: Vehicles

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles belonging to his Department were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each year since 1997; and what the (i) make and model and (ii) value was of each vehicle.

Adam Ingram: Vehicles lost and stolen are classed as vehicle 'write offs'. Departmental accounts do not differentiate between specific categories of 'write off' and therefore the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EC Defence Policy

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities are available to the EU in the Operations Centre for European Security and Defence Policy; what the budgeted cost is of those facilities for the 2007-08 financial year; and what proportion of the resources and budget are provided by the UK.

Des Browne: The civil/military cell in the EU Military Staff has the capacity rapidly to set up an operations centre for a particular operation. The decision to do so would be taken by the Council, upon the advice of the Military Committee, in particular where a joint civil/military response is required and where no national HQ is identified.
	The facilities for an operations centre contain the desks, IT and communications to support up to 89 civilian and military staff. They are part of the premises occupied by the EU Military Staff at the Kortenberg building in Brussels. The cost of maintaining the Kortenberg building in the 2007 calendar year is €5.15 million. This cost is met from central EU funds. It is not possible to isolate the cost of the operations centre.
	Member states make contributions to the EC Budget as a whole and it is not possible to separate individual member states' contributions to specific areas within the budget. After taking account of the abatement, the UK's financing share of the 2007 EC Budget is estimated to be 12.49 per cent.

HMS Sussex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on the wreckage of the 'Sussex' lying off the coast of Gibraltar since 1694;
	(2)  what progress has been made in salvaging the wreck of the 'Sussex' which sank in 1694 off the coast of Gibraltar.

Derek Twigg: Given that the excavation involves what is believed to be a Royal Navy shipwreck, the Ministry of Defence has retained ownership of the project and is closely monitoring its progress. Some preliminary work has been conducted at the site including a survey of the area. Operations are currently suspended pending the resolution of certain outstanding heritage issues between Odyssey Marine Exploration and the Spanish authorities.

Identification Friend or Foe Systems

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the Successor Identification Friend or Foe System is suitable for individual vehicle identification in land combat operations;
	(2)  whether the Successor Identification Friend or Foe System is compatible with the combat identification systems used by  (a) the United States armed forces and  (b) other NATO countries;
	(3)  what proportion of Army vehicles have been fitted with the Successor Identification Friend or Foe system; and what plans he has to fit systems to those which have not.

Adam Ingram: Successor Identification Friend or Foe (SIFF) is an airborne and maritime IFF system. It is not suitable for identification of ground vehicles, and therefore it is not fitted to any Army vehicles. SIFF is compatible and interoperable with the common standard of combat identification systems used by NATO countries, including the United States.

Indonesia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) he and  (b) his Ministerial colleagues met TNI Commander Marshall Djoko Suyanto of Indonesia during his visit to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Neither myself, nor my ministerial colleagues, met with the TNI Commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto during his recent visit to the UK.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 625W, on mental health, how many  (a) psychologists,  (b) psychiatrists,  (c) mental health nurses and  (d) occupational therapists each service employed; and what assessment he has made of how many are required in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The following tables illustrate the requirement and trained strength figures of uniformed regular psychiatrists and mental health nurses in each service for each year since 1998, all of whom were or are uniformed. Further to the statement on 9 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1402W, and as explained to the hon. Member in a follow-up letter, the figures for 1997 are unavailable.
	In the following tables the figures are for 1 April in that year.
	As stated on 29 January 2007,  Official Report, column 25W, the DMS uniformed regular requirement figures have been reviewed and the new manning requirements for 2007 for all cadres will be formally announced in the near future.
	
		
			  RN psychiatrists 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement 3 n/a 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
			 Manning 1 n/a 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 
		
	
	
		
			  RN mental health nurses 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement n/a n/a 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 
			 Manning 10 n/a 13 10 10 18 29 24 21 
		
	
	
		
			  Army psychiatrists 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement 11 n/a 25 25 25 17 15 17 15 
			 Manning 8 n/a 8 6 6 6 5 7 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Army mental health nurses 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement n/a n/a 76 76 76 50 48 61 53 
			 Manning 42 n/a 36 38 41 39 42 43 43 
		
	
	
		
			  RAF psychiatrists 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement 4 n/a 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 
			 Manning 4 n/a 5 4 3 3 4 4 5 
		
	
	
		
			  RAF mental health nurses 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Requirement n/a n/a 30 27 27 38 38 38 38 
			 Manning 24 n/a 26 31 29 30 31 33 33 
			 n/a = Indicates that it was not possible to determine the figure from the recovered archived files.  Source: DMSD 
		
	
	Mental health occupational therapists are now not employed by the MOD. Our current community-based mental health provision is occupationally orientated and aims to manage patients in their work/home environment. This is done by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of psychiatrists, mental health nurses with access to both clinical psychologists and mental health social workers. The employment of specific occupational therapists is no longer necessary.
	The MOD employed mental health occupational therapists up until 2003 at the Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital. The mental health occupational therapists that were employed were civilian. The records for the numbers of mental health occupational therapists could not be recovered without disproportionate effort.
	The MOD also employs civilian clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health nurses.

Navy: Military Bases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date Serco Denholm Ltd submitted its final bid for the future provision of marine services contract.

Adam Ingram: Serco Denholm submitted their technical proposal in March 2004 and their financial bid one month later, in accordance with the Department's invitation to tender. At MOD's request, however, bidders submitted revise or confirm bids in December 2004 and revisions continued until July 2005.
	Since February 2006, when Serco Denholm were announced as the preferred bidder, further changes have been made to their bid as part of the negotiation process.

Navy: Military Bases

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 218W, what estimate was made in November 2003 of the date when the contract would be awarded.

Adam Ingram: When the future provision of marine services invitation to negotiate was issued in November 2003, the estimated date for award of contract was May 2005.

Navy: Reserve Forces

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the reasons for the outflow of volunteers from the Royal Navy Reserve.

Derek Twigg: There is currently no means of capturing the reasons why personnel leave the RNR and therefore this information is not held centrally. However, from 1 April 2007 a new Leavers Survey will be sent to RNR leavers.

Nimrod Aircraft

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the suitability and costs involved in using the existing RAF Nimrod MR2 R1 fleet over the new Nimrod MRD4 platform for the HELIX programme; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: During the current Project HELIX assessment phase, the suitability and cost of potential air vehicle solutions are among the factors being investigated. The final decision on the air vehicle to be used will be taken at the main investment decision point.

Nuclear Disarmament

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 98W to my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) on nuclear disarmament, what progress the UK has made on Step  (a) 6 and  (b) 9 of the 13 Steps agreed at the 2000 Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty review conference; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The UK continues to support and make progress against the '13 Steps' agreed at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference 2000, which are applicable to the UK. We continue to reiterate our unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of our nuclear arsenal leading to nuclear disarmament as required under 'Step 6', most recently expressed by the Minister for the Middle East, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells) at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva last month. With regards to 'Step 9', we have undertaken several unilateral steps towards nuclear disarmament including reductions in warhead numbers, increased transparency by publishing historical accounting records of our defence fissile material holdings and significant reductions of the operational status of our nuclear weapons system. We have also pursued a widely welcomed programme to develop UK expertise in methods and technologies that could be used to verify nuclear disarmament.
	Finally, we have pressed consistently for early entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the commencement of negotiations, without preconditions, of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.

Nuclear Disarmament

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 98W, on nuclear disarmament, what the  (a) evidential and  (b) treaty basis is for describing the UK's announced reduction to 160 operational nuclear warheads as disarmament.

Des Browne: The planned reduction in the maximum number of operationally available warheads to fewer than 160, announced in December last year represents a 20 per cent. decrease from the previously declared maximum number. I intend that this reduction will take place this year. This reduction is pertinent to the UK's obligations under the nuclear non proliferation treaty and means that, since coming to power in 1997, the Government will have reduced the overall explosive power of the UK's nuclear arsenal by around 75 per cent.

Oil: Flax Bourton

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what refined hydrocarbon liquids were received at Flax Bourton oil storage depot in the 12 months to December 2006.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 2 March 2007
	No refined petroleum products were received at the Flax Bourton depot for the purposes of storage over the 12 months to December 2006. Small quantities of product were, however, brought onto the site for local consumption during that period.

Selly Oak Hospital: Infectious Diseases

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many personnel have contracted Acinetobactor baumannii at Selly Oak NHS hospital having returned from  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) the Balkans,  (c) Cyprus,  (d) Falklands and Ascension Islands,  (e) Iraq and  (f) Northern Ireland in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many personnel contracted MRSA at Selly Oak NHS hospital having returned from  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) the Balkans,  (c) Cyprus,  (d) Falklands and Ascension Islands,  (e) Iraq and  (f) Northern Ireland in each year since 2001.

Derek Twigg: The MOD does not collate information on how many service personnel have contracted MRSA or Acinetobacter baumannii. The data could only be established at disproportionate cost by examining the personal medical file of every service man and woman who has been a patient at Selly Oak, which would additionally require the permission of all individuals.
	The Defence Medical Services have robust and stringent infection control procedures which fully meet NHS requirements. We take the issue of infection very seriously and work to ensure the best possible healthcare for all service patients returning from overseas.

Service Personnel: Medical Conditions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many servicemen who returned from  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan after active duty injured in each year since 2003 are now registered blind or partially sighted;
	(2)  how many  (a) servicemen and  (b) reserve servicemen returned injured during active duty in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan and were registered disabled in each year since 2003.

Derek Twigg: Comprehensive data regarding injuries and disabilities are not held centrally, and could only be established at disproportionate cost by examining the personal medical file of every current and former Service man and woman, which would additionally require the permission of all individuals.
	However, Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) do compile data on medical discharges, based on Medical Board recommendations. The table below presents a tri-Service total number of medical discharges among UK regular Service Personnel in 2003 and 2004 for all eye-related disorders and injuries suffered worldwide. Data for 2005 and 2006 are still being validated and are not ready for release.
	
		
			  Medical Discharges UK Regular Armed Forces( 1) 
			   Primary cause of medical discharge 
			   Disorders of the eye and adnexa  Injury of the eye orbit 
			 2003 15 <5 
			 2004 25 <5 
		
	
	
		
			   Other causes of medical discharge with disorders of the eye 
			   Of which: secondary to a head injury  Of which: secondary to other conditions 
			 2003 <5 <5 
			 2004 <5 <5 
			 (1 )Excludes untrained naval service ratings.  Notes: 1. In accordance with DASA policy, figures are rounded to the nearest 5. 2. Figures below 5 are marked as <5 in order to preserve personal confidentiality. 
		
	
	Medical discharges can take place some time after the injury or disease is diagnosed. DASA are currently carrying out a 10-year validation exercise on all medical discharge information held, and updating relevant records. The data used for this answer are taken from a historical dataset for 1995-2004, and the figures presented therefore may be subject to change.

Trident: Contracts

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first contracts were placed with US contractors on behalf of his Department, under the Polaris Sales Agreement, for work related to the Trident D5 Life Extension programme; and what the total value was of those contracts.

Des Browne: No order has yet been placed with the US authorities for procurement of Trident D5 Life Extension on behalf of the UK.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Combined Heat and Power

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of electricity is sourced from good quality combined heat and power; and what his target is for 2010.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2005, the latest year for which statistics are available, 7&frac12; per cent. of electricity generated in the United Kingdom came from good quality combined heat and power (CHP) schemes. The target is for 10,000 MWe of good quality CHP capacity to be in place by the end of 2010, but there is no separate target for generation.

Conditions of Employment: Parents

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures his Department has in place to allow working parents to take paid leave in order to look after their children when they are ill.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Staff in the Department have the right to take up to five days' paid special leave in order to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or to make longer-term arrangements for coping with such emergencies. In addition staff can apply for special unpaid leave.

Energy Supply

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of households in each region and nation of the UK which do not have mains access to  (a) gas and  (b) electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: As part of its regional and local energy statistics publication programme, DTI has published on its website the number of domestic gas meter points in each Government office area in England, together with Scotland and Wales(1). When these are compared with the latest estimates of the number of households in these areas, the following numbers and percentages are derived(2).
	(1) www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/regional/quality/page36160 .html
	(2) This analysis may overstate the number of households having mains access to gas because households in multi-occupancy of a property may share a gas meter. "Domestic" is defined as consumers of less than 73,200 kWh per year and will include small commercial and industrial businesses. Household estimates are those published in March 2006 for England, June 2005 for Scotland, and 2003 for Wales and are less up to date than the gas and meter statistics.
	
		
			   Difference between number of households and number of gas meter points  Gas meter points as a percentage of the number of households 
			  England 2,700,000 87.4 
			 North East 70,000 93.7 
			 North West 190,000 93.6 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 160,000 92.4 
			 East Midlands 220,000 88.0 
			 West Midlands 260,000 88.5 
			 East 470,000 80.1 
			 London 290,000 90.9 
			 South East 480,000 86.0 
			 South West 560,000 74.4 
			
			  Wales 170,000 85.9 
			
			  Scotland 500,000 77.7 
			
			  Great Britain 3,380,000 86.5 
		
	
	Corresponding data are not available for Northern Ireland.
	A similar regional analysis based on electricity meter points is not possible because, where electricity is supplied through two-rate and three-rate meters (mainly those meters using dynamic teleswitching), there are two meter recordings per address. It is estimated that there are some 1,060,000 domestic customers with two meter point numbers in Great Britain. For Great Britain as a whole, it is estimated that 99.6 per cent. of households have mains access to electricity so fewer than 100,000 households do not. As with gas, some households may share an electricity meter.
	Where a household owns more than one property, the statistics take account of meters in all properties.

Energy: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on  (a) electricity and  (b) gas by the average household in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: Average fuel bills are only available for gas and electricity distribution regions. The average domestic bills for the North West(1) are shown in the following table. The data shown are for standard credit customers in cash terms, they have not been adjusted for inflation.
	(1) Lancashire is contained in the North West region for gas and electricity.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Electricity( 1)  Bill  Gas Bill 
			 1997(2) 283 328 
			 1998 260 314 
			 1999 257 304 
			 2000 249 295 
			 2001 239 294 
			 2002 237 309 
			 2003 235 317 
			 2004 243 330 
			 2005 270 383 
			 2006 327 473 
			 (1) The bills for standard electricity do not include customers who are on economy 7 tariffs. (2) Regional average bills are not available prior to 1998. The Electricity average bill given for 1997 is for England and Wales. The average bill shown for gas in 1997 is for Great Britain.  Note: Data are derived from the DTI's quarterly survey of domestic energy supply companies. Bills relate to the total bill including VAT in cash terms received during the calendar year. For electricity an annual consumption of 3,300 kWh is used, whilst the equivalent figure for gas is 18,000 kWh.

Energy: Small Businesses

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) Ofgem have taken to improve the level of protection for small business consumers in the energy market.

Malcolm Wicks: The existing level of regulatory protection in respect of gas and electricity broadly reflects that in general consumer law. It is open to Ofgem to consider whether additional regulatory protection is required. I understand that the Chairman of Ofgem will write to my hon. Friend about the information she has sought.

Heating

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government are undertaking on the effect on  (a) energy efficiency and  (b) carbon emissions of using microgeneration twinned with electric heating.

Malcolm Wicks: The Regulatory Impact Assessment for the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations (which came into operation in April 2006) contained assessments of the energy efficiency and carbon emissions of different heating systems, including electric heating, but no specific assessment was done of twinning electric heating with microgeneration.
	We will be undertaking research this year, jointly with representatives of the microgeneration industry and other interested stakeholders, into the wide-ranging benefits of microgeneration, but without a specific focus on the effect of using microgeneration twinned with electric heating.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice he has given on probate matters to claimants for deceased mineworkers.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 28 February 2007
	Probate advice to claimants is, of course, the responsibility of their representatives. The CHA requires the provision of valid probate documentation before a payment will be made. This ensures that the Department makes valid payments to the correct claimant.
	Occasionally, if requested, the Department will provide standard publicly available information on probate matters in relation to the Schemes.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners' compensation cases are in dispute because of probate issues.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 28 February 2007
	To date no miners' compensation cases have progressed to formal dispute because of probate issues.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many deceased miners' claims have been accepted as valid but not paid because of probate proceedings.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 28 February 2007
	The Department is not aware of any claims that have not been paid due to probate proceedings.
	As at 26 February 2007, 3,214 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease full and final offers are still outstanding and are awaiting receipt of the relevant probate documentation.
	In addition, under the Deceased Operational Risk Offer Scheme 11,128 acceptances have been received to date and have qualified in all categories, save for the receipt of Probate or Form of Indemnities.
	There are also 79 Vibration White Finger full and final offers which remain outstanding whilst the appropriate probate documentation is received.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many miners' compensation cases were accepted by his Department as valid claims but subsequently dropped because of probate disputes.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 28 February 2007
	No claims have been dropped by Capita, the Department's claims handler, because of probate disputes. All claims "struck out" to date have either been withdrawn by the Claimant's representative or because they failed to meet cut-offs or failed for other reasons.
	It is not usual for the Claimant's representative to attempt to obtain probate until they have had a confirmed acceptance of liability.

Migrant Workers: Pay

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the extent of differences in  (a) pay and  (b) terms and conditions between established and migrant and newly-arrived workers in the UK economy; and what steps his Department is taking to minimise such differences.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have not undertaken any specific research on differences in pay, and in terms and conditions between established migrants, and new-arrived workers in the UK. Legislation on employment rights, such as the national minimum wage, does not differentiate between established, migrant and newly arrived workers working legally in the UK.

Research

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the possible effect on the science research base of the recent decision to reduce the Science Research Council's budget.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cambridge (David Howarth) on 2 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1602.

Research

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what method he used to determine the proportion of the recent overall reduction in the Science Research Council's budget which would be borne by each of the research councils.

Malcolm Wicks: In calculating the distribution of the EYF reductions between the eight research councils, we examined the predicted EYF balances for each council and their allocations for 2007-08, and then we determined the amount of the reductions so as to minimise the overall impact on the research objectives reflected in the Department's PSA objective.

Rivers: Renewable Energy

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how he applies the Renewable Obligations scheme to river microhydro projects; and whether any changes are planned.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 March 2007
	Run of river micro hydro is treated in the same way as all eligible renewables generators whereby they can claim one renewables obligation certificate (ROC) per MW of renewable generation.
	There are proposed changes to the renewables obligation (RO), to come into force in April this year, of which three may have an effect on some micro hydro generators. These are;
	1. To allow agents to act on behalf of small generators in all aspects of RO participation.
	2. To require agents, for the purpose of claiming ROCs, to amalgamate the generation from two or more generators, and
	3. Remove the requirement for sale and buy back agreements for generators.
	There are further longer-term changes that are being considered with regards to "banding" the RO so that different renewable technologies receive differing levels of ROCs per MW of generation dependent on the technologies need. A public consultation on the level of the technology bands will be issued on this later in the year.

Rivers: Renewable Energy

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential for the contribution of river micro hydro technology to community energy supplies.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 March 2007
	A study (Potential for Microgeneration: Study and Analysis, 2005) undertaken by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of the DTI provides estimates of cumulative capacity of micro-hydro installations under different support scenarios. Under the most favourable scenario micro-hydro schemes of under l00MW could provide approximately 100MW of electrical capacity by 2050.

Science: Expenditure

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the science budget was spent in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales,  (c) England and  (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 5 March 2007
	Science Budget national expenditure for the period 2001 to 2006 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Science Budget national expenditures for the period 2001 to 2006 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			   £000  %  £000  %  £000  %  £000  %  £000  % 
			  (a) Scotland 162,134 9.0 185,359 9.2 208,604 9.0 234,019 9.7 267,034 9.0 
			  (b) Wales 39,787 2.2 49,605 2.5 49,311 2.1 55,792 2.3 67,002 2.3 
			  (c) England 1,363,412 75.8 1,510,218 75.0 1,702,032 73.7 1,776,909 73.3 2,190,580 74.1 
			  (d) N. Ireland 8,709 0.5 8,482 0.4 12,130 0.5 9,471 0.4 23,171 0.8 
			  (e) Other including overseas, international subscriptions and Research Council central expenditure 223,907 12.5 259,731 12.9 338,800 14.7 346,495 14.3 406,930 13.8 
			 Total(1) 1,797,949 100 2,013,395 100 2,310,878 100 2,422,686 100 2,954,717 100 
			 (1) A small number of minor lines of expenditure where statistics are not collected on a national basis have been excluded from the total. These include funding for the National Academies and for Science and Society activities.  Note: A full breakdown of Research Council national expenditure was provided in the answer given to the hon. Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson) on  4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 15.

Wind Power

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that the terms of the convention on landscape agreed by the Council of Europe in 2000 are taken into account when determining applications for wind farms.

Malcolm Wicks: The European landscape convention includes measures to
	"establish procedures for the participation of the general public, local and regional authorities, and other parties with an interest in the definition and implementation of landscape policies"
	and
	"to integrate landscape into its regional and town planning policies".
	The Government's policies on planning for renewable energy, including on landscape protection, are set out in planning policy statement (PPS) 22. The PPS is supported by a companion guide which provides practice guidance including on assessing the visual and landscape effects of planning applications for wind turbines.
	Where the application is accompanied by an environmental statement this will, inter alia, include a description of the environment, which includes the landscape, affected by the application, a description of the likely significant effects of the development on the environment and a description of the measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and where possible, offset any significant adverse effects on the environment. These matters will be taken into account when deciding whether or not to approve an application.
	Public consultation is a central part of established plan-making and development control procedures. In particular, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires regional planning bodies and local planning authorities to prepare statements of community involvement in which they set their policy on involving their community in preparing regional spatial strategies, local development documents and on consulting on planning applications.

Wind Power: Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 318W, on Wind Microgenerators, what has been the total Government expenditure on support for domestic wind turbines; and what assessment he has made of the value for money of this expenditure in terms of electricity generated and CO2 emissions avoided.

Malcolm Wicks: Since 2002 the Clear Skies programme has provided support for the installation of a range of renewable technologies including micro wind turbines from 0.5kWp to 25 kWp. The Clear Skies programme approved 208 domestic projects with grant commitment of £866,500. 205 installations have currently been completed (with a total installed capacity of 1,363 kWp), and the total grant spend to date is £851,500.
	The Low Carbon Buildings programme continues to support the installation of domestic wind turbines. Since April 2006, 1,495 applications have been approved (total capacity of 2,923 kWp) and the total grant commitment is £1,736,723. 94 projects have currently been completed (total installed capacity of 477 kWp) and the total grant paid is £243,673.
	The amount of energy produced and carbon saved by installed micro wind turbines will depend on several factors including size, and type of system (building-mounted or pole mounted), location, wind speed, nearby buildings and the local landscape. At the moment there are insufficient data from the existing micro wind installations to provide accurate information on energy yield and carbon savings. In a previous written reply of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 318W, I explained that micro wind field trials are about to start and that these trials should provide useful data on the performance of micro wind installations.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Culture: Local Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to encourage councils to provide more cultural services.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has helped to develop a cultural services assessment as part of the Audit Commission's comprehensive performance assessment of English local authorities.
	In addition, DCMS is engaged in a three-year programme, in partnership with the Improvement and Development Agency and national cultural agencies, to develop a self-improvement strategy for local authority cultural services.
	However, the extent of local cultural service provision is a matter for local authorities to decide.
	The Local Government White Paper: Strong and prosperous communities proposed a new performance framework for local government which included introducing a set of up to 200 national indicators related to the Government's priority outcomes for local areas.
	These priority outcomes will be defined through the current Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
	As part of the CSR, DCMS is working to ensure that the new set of national indicators will contain an appropriate focus on local government's role in relation to national priorities on culture.

Digital Broadcasting

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the free digital box for those who qualify for it has  (a) a return path and  (b) an IPTV slot.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 2 March 2007
	The Consumer Receiver Requirements (CRR) were drawn up to make sure equipment provided as part of the help scheme would be easy to set up and use. As such they do not allow for internet access.
	However, the scheme will allow participants a degree of choice, including a broadband TV option. The scheme will make a contribution to the additional costs for this option.

Digital Television

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of households which will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in  (a) Leicestershire,  (b) Warwickshire and  (c) Northamptonshire, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Constituency  Households (defined as eligible benefit units) 
			 Blaby 9,000 
			 Corby 11,000 
			 Daventry 11,000 
			 Harborough 10,000 
			 Kettering 11,000 
			 Leicester East 11,000 
			 Leicester South 10,000 
			 Leicester West 9,000 
			 Loughborough 9,000 
			 North Warwickshire 11,000 
			 North West Leicestershire 11,000 
			 Northampton North 10,000 
			 Northampton South 11,000 
			 Nuneaton 11,000 
			 Rugby and Kenilworth 11,000 
			 Rutland and Melton 10,000 
			 Stratford-on-Avon 12,000 
			 Warwick and Leamington 12,000 
			 Wellingborough 11,000 
			  Notes: 1. Totals for constituencies rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. 3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the help scheme in their own right.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are used when deciding the suitability of sponsors for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is currently in discussions about sponsorship with companies from seven sectors. These sectors are banking and insurance, utilities (electricity and natural gas), automotive, telecommunications, airlines, and sportswear.
	To assess the proposals, LOCOG will consider the overall value of the offer, including value in kind that the company can provide. In addition, they will also consider: how the company aligns with Olympic values; how the company aligns with the values of the London 2012 Games; and, how the company intends to activate its sponsorship rights.

Olympic Games: Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had about projects in the Leicester area linked to the Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: My Department has not has not been involved in discussions about specific projects in the Leicester area linked to the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
	However, the Government are committed to ensuring that people across the UK can benefit from, and participate in, the 2012 Games. We are working closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), chaired by Charles Allen, which brings together representatives from every nation and region. each nation and region is finalising its plans to maximise the impact of the games in that area, as well as the wider opportunities to deliver a sustainable legacy from the games.

Olympic Games: Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunities there are for businesses in  (a) Leicester and  (b) the East Midlands region to exploit the commercial opportunities of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: Companies, large and small, in a range of sectors from construction to business services will be needed to deliver the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, creating valuable procurement opportunities across the UK. The London 2012 website (www. london2012.org/en/gettinginvolved/Business/) contains the most up-to-date information about business opportunities, including a new e-tendering facility, advance notice of contracts ahead of tender competitions, and information about past and upcoming business events. The website also allows businesses to register their interest in being a supplier to the Games and sign up to receive e-alerts. 467 businesses from the East Midlands have already signed up for this service.
	Working with London 2012, the London Business Board and other agencies, the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has played a leading role in the development of the national Business Opportunities Network. The Network will be launched soon and will build upon existing information on the London 2012 website about business opportunities and timelines.
	Businesses in the region will also stand to benefit from the work of the East Midlands Group for the 2012 Games chaired by emda. It will target business opportunities for the region and deliver a business support programme. A regional business opportunities group has also been established to help the region understand how local businesses want to engage with, and contribute to, the Games. It is chaired by one of Leicester's leading lawyers and comprises representatives from business organisations, the construction sector and the Learning and Skills Council.
	Working below the regional level, each county in the region has set up its own steering group. Leicestershire's is chaired by the chief executive of the local sub-regional partnership (Leicestershire Economic Partnership) and comprises representatives from across all sectors.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

African Union: Peace Keeping Operations

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of the Africa standby force; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Progress towards the establishment of the Africa Standby Force (ASF) is reasonably good, though sustained effort and commitment will be necessary, including by African Union (AU) member states, to ensure that the AU is able to meet its current target of having a fully capable, three brigade ASF in place by 2010.
	DFID is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, to provide technical and other assistance to the AU and troop contributing countries in Africa to help achieve this aim.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the prospects for lasting peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hilary Benn: The successful elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006 were a major step forward in securing lasting peace in the DRC. The people of the DRC have a democratically elected President, parliament and provincial assemblies for the first time since 1960. However, the elections are only the first step towards peace and the DRC Government, with co-ordinated support from international partners, will need to tackle several priority issues to maintain the political settlement achieved through the elections and consolidate peace and security:
	Reform of the army, police and justice system, to ensure they provide security for DRC's citizens and legal and peaceful means of addressing grievances and resolving disputes;
	Ensuring the new democratic system is as inclusive as possible so that all groups feel their voices are heard and that the Government are accountable; and
	Ensuring that the Government delivers early and tangible benefits to DRC's population.
	I believe that now is a time for cautious optimism for the DRC. Success or failure at sustaining peace ultimately depends on the choice of DRC's politicians, however, the international community can continue to provide vital political, technical and financial support to help increase the chances of success. DFID has rapidly increased its support to the DRC, from £5.56 million in 2001-02 to £67 million available this year.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much UK aid was given to the Democratic Republic of Congo in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Since 2000, DFID bilateral aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 3.10 
			 2001-02 5.56 
			 2002-03 12.86 
			 2003-04 17.17 
			 2004-05 29.28 
			 2005-06 58.83 
		
	
	We expect to spend £67 million this year through our bilateral programme. We are increasing our support because the DRC has 60 million people, almost all of whom are poor. In addition, progress in this vast country is essential for stability and poverty reduction in the whole of central Africa. Following successful elections, there is a real opportunity to sustain peace in DRC, although the new Government face enormous challenges. Our priority is to help them face these challenges and bring real improvements to the lives of poor people in DRC.

Departments: Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what strategy he has put in place for  (a) the use of renewable energy and  (b) meeting energy targets in his Department's buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: As from December 2006, 100 per cent. of electricity used in DFID's UK buildings is supplied from renewable sources.
	We have recently worked with the Carbon Trust to carry out independent energy audits of our buildings, which have concluded that they are "inherently energy efficient". However, in order to reduce our energy consumption we are currently reviewing options such as the installation of solar thermal panels, wind turbines and combined heat and power units, in order to meet our commitment to the long-term targets for energy efficiency and carbon emissions, as set out in the revised sustainable operations targets for the Government Estate announced in June 2006.

Developing Countries: Diseases

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding and resources have been allocated to tackle Yaws disease in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The Global Yaws Control programme was launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948, in collaboration with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). DFID's unearmarked core contributions of £12.5 million to the WHO and £19 million to UNICEF for the financial year of 2005-06, support the organisation's efforts to tackle Yaws disease.
	DFID has not provided any specific funding or resources to tackle Yaws disease but is increasingly funding the broader health sector plans of developing countries through poverty reduction budget support and sector- wide programming. Such sector programmes will build capacity in health services to diagnose and treat all major causes of illness.
	Currently DFID funds two programmes on neglected diseases-The Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) who will receive £2.5 million through to 2010 and The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) commonly known as river blindness, which has received £7.6 million to date.
	DFID also supports research and development of drugs for neglected diseases through its £6.5 million support to Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI) and £4.5 million to the Tropical Disease Research (TDR) special programme in the WHO for research into neglected tropical diseases.

Namibia: Overseas Aid

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what technical assistance and training has been provided to Namibia as part of the country's land reform proposals.

Hilary Benn: In 2004-05, DFID provided £98,000 to support the permanent technical team (PTT) which was set up in 2003 by the Government of Namibia, reporting to the Cabinet Committee, to produce the National Land Reform Action Plan (NLRAP), which it did in mid-2004.
	DFID funding was used to support three areas of the PTT's work:
	1. Regional workshops to allow widespread dissemination of the NLRAP;
	2. Follow-up activities, such as a study on the impact of the NLRAP on farm workers;
	3. Supporting the establishment of Land Boards and the implementation of the Communal Land Act, by funding specific studies and providing capacity building and training.
	The EC has also allocated €34 million for Rural Development, including Land Reform, in Namibia under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF9) which covers the period 2003-07. The UK share of this is 12.7 per cent.

Namibia: Overseas Aid

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance is given by his Department to support education programmes in Namibia; and whether any of those programmes are delivered in English.

Hilary Benn: DFID no longer has a bilateral programme in Namibia and so is not bilaterally supporting education programmes there. We are, however, doing so through the European Commission (EC) which has allocated €21 million during the period 2003-07 to support education through the 'Namibia Education Sector Programme' under the 9th European Development Fund (EDF9). €18 million of this is provided directly to the Government of Namibia as earmarked budget support. The remaining €3 million are allocated to building capacity and providing of technical assistance in the education sector. The UK share of EDF9 is 12.7 per cent.
	As the EC's 'Namibia Education Sector programme' provides direct funding to the education budget in Namibia, it is the Government of Namibia's education policies that determine the language of instruction in schools. This recommends the use of mother tongues as the medium of instruction from grades 1 to 3, with grade 4 as a transitional grade. English is used as the medium of instruction from grades 5 to 12.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Influenza

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to help other countries to control avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: As an international and EU reference laboratory for avian influenza, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) has responsibility for verifying other countries' test results. The VLA takes a leading role in developing and defining standards and keeps abreast of the latest information. It has frequent discussions with its counterparts overseas and, as a result, is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in veterinary research.
	Since the H5N1 strain of the virus emerged in South East Asia four years ago, I have had discussions on a regular basis with ministerial counterparts in the EU. Ministers and officials have been actively involved in discussions and the provision of assistance, at an international level, on avian influenza. Examples of this include:
	i. At the pledging conference in Bamako, Mali, on 6 to 8 December 2006, the fourth global bird flu summit since late last year, the UK Government committed to assist countries at risk or affected by avian influenza. The Department for International Development will provide £30 million over the next three years to support country, regional or global activities.
	ii. The UK presidency of the EU in 2005 provided technical support (central research laboratories (CRL) and veterinary assistance) to many countries.
	iii. Under the UK presidency, Commission funds were provided to enable OIE and the International Animal Health Organisation to hold technical programmes on Al in Eastern Europe.
	iv. During our presidency, the UK delegation represented the EU at the international partnership on avian and pandemic influenza on 7 October 2006; and the Geneva partners' meeting on avian and human pandemic influenza on 7 to 9 November.
	v. The Government have significantly enhanced the arrangements for surveillance of wild birds, including the investigation of die-offs and sampling at shoots and wetlands. The arrangements have been agreed as part of co-ordinated efforts across the European Union.
	vi. UK research bodies are also keen to collaborate with affected and at-risk countries. The Medical Research Council has a £10 million collaborative programme which can support such partnerships as required.

Badgers

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans there are to re-introduce the culling of badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 6 March 2007
	The Government will only consider introducing a policy which would allow the culling of badgers to control and reduce bovine TB, if the available evidence suggests that it would be successful in the long term, and that a cost-effective, practical, sustainable and humane policy could be developed and implemented.
	Over the last year, DEFRA has been discussing, with interested parties, the questions around how the TB reservoir in badgers could be addressed. My ministerial colleagues and I have been considering the scientific and organisational questions around badger culling. We will need to reach conclusions on these issues before a decision can be made.

Badgers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking in response to the recent change in incidence of TB among the badger population.

Ben Bradshaw: I am not aware of a recent upsurge in tuberculosis (TB) cases among the badger population. However, bovine TB is the most serious animal disease in this country at the moment and the main reservoir for the disease in wildlife is in badgers.
	We continue to make progress with our research on vaccine development. We have started testing candidate vaccines in naturally infected cattle and badgers, as well as work on developing novel vaccine delivery systems, and we have committed to future funding of approximately £5.5 million per annum for this.
	Nothing has been ruled in or out on the question of badger culling. We need to examine scientific and organisational questions about how the reservoir of the disease in the badger population can be addressed in a way which contains the disease rather than spreading it.
	We also need to see cattle controls, including the recent extension of pre-movement testing to younger animals, as sensible precautions in and of themselves. Cattle controls have an important role to play in tackling this disease regardless of any decision on badger control.

Bernard Matthews

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1320-1W on Bernard Matthews, if he will bring forward amendments to the Animal Health Act 1981 to provide that the food producer is ultimately liable for the costs of any slaughter in the national interest.

Ben Bradshaw: The arrangements for animal health and welfare are currently under review.
	The Government launched a consultation on 'Responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare: principles' on 11 December 2006, seeking the views of the livestock industry, including businesses upstream and downstream, and consumer organisations.
	A UK Responsibility and Cost Sharing Consultative Forum, made up of high-level UK industry representatives, was established in December 2006 to develop structures and mechanisms through which responsibilities and costs could be shared on animal health and welfare. In addition, DEFRA is working with other interested parties and consumers.
	The intention is to introduce a Bill to allow the Government to extend coherent cost sharing principles across all animal health and welfare policies. This will provide the responsibility sharing needed to establish a new relationship with the livestock industry and to provide charging powers, such as individual charging or by establishing a levy mechanism for a group of individuals or an entire sector.

Dog Control Orders

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to ensure that local authorities introducing dog control orders adhere to his Department's published guidelines of 'proportionate and reasonable' response to the need for controls.

Ben Bradshaw: Although Dog Control Orders do not need confirmation by the Secretary of State, local authorities (LAs) can only introduce them after completing the procedure prescribed in the Dog Control Order (Procedures) Regulations 2006. The procedure includes a period of local consultation and notification in the local press. This gives dog owners and local residents the opportunity to make representations to the LA on the proposed controls. In our guidance to LAs on this issue, we have strongly advised them to consider any representations prior to making the orders. They should also provide details of alternative areas in the vicinity where owners can exercise their dogs. Failure to take into consideration the views of the local community could lead to the control order being challenged in the courts.
	Officers authorised by secondary authorities must also complete a training course, approved by DEFRA, before they are able to issue fixed penalty notices for Dog Control Order offences.

Energy: Costs

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost per kilowatt hour is of  (a) tidal and wave power and  (b) nuclear power; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The results of modelling of the relative electricity generating costs of different technologies undertaken as part of the Energy Review can be seen at:
	www.dti.gov.uk/files/file32014.pdf
	The results of the modelling assume the cost of new nuclear power generation to be around £38/MWh, as a central case. The modelling also considered a high case of £44/MWh and a low case of £30/MWh.
	The purpose of the modelling was to provide estimates of the relative cost of electricity generation technologies under different scenarios and assumptions to inform policy analysis. The estimates therefore do not represent the government view on the relative costs of the technologies.
	The modelling carried out for the Energy Review did not consider the costs of emerging wave and tidal technologies.
	However, the results of the Carbon Trust's "Marine Energy Challenge" research programme show the lowest-cost offshore wave energy converters to be in a range from £120/MWh to £440/MWh, with central estimates in the sub-range of £220/MWh to £250/MWh.
	Energy from initial tidal-stream farms was predicted to cost between £90/MWh and £180/MWh, with central estimates in the sub-range £120/MWh to £150/MWh.
	The full Marine Energy Challenge report can be seen at:
	www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publications/publicationdetail.htm?productid=CTC601&metaNoCache=1
	The other form of tidal power is tidal impoundment that is the application of mature and well understood technology. This type of scheme was previously studied during the 1980's at a number of potential sites, the largest being in the Severn Estuary. The results of the Severn study were reported in Energy Paper 57 HMSO 1989 (ISBN 0 11 412952 5). The unit cost of generation for the Severn scheme was estimated to be £75/MWh based upon 1994 prices.

Farms: Crime

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many crimes were reported on farms in England and Wales in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) type of crime and  (b) county; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is not available.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government funding has been allocated for the low carbon buildings programme during the next five years.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The low carbon buildings programme phase 1 and 2 has been allocated £80 million over the next three years to March 2009. There are no plans to increase the budget.

Pollution Control: Incinerators

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will issue guidance on the application of the Waste Incineration Directive (WID) to the conversion of a proportion of the burners in a power station to WID compliance with the purpose of burning refuse-derived fuel in those burners only.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste Incineration Directive (WID) applies to incineration and co-incineration plants and includes those where waste is used as a fuel or is disposed of at a plant where energy generation or production is the main purpose. The WID, therefore, only requires an operator to upgrade those facilities at a power station in which waste is handled to WID standards.
	The third edition of DEFRA's guidance on the application of the Directive on the incineration of waste was published in June 2006. We do not intend to provide specific guidance on the conversion of power station burners to burn only refuse-derived fuel. However, the Environment Agency will be happy to discuss the details with any operator wishing to undertake such a conversion.

TRANSPORT

Blue Badge Scheme: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his plans are to amend the Blue Badge regulations to allow disabled children under the age of two years with mobility needs to have access to badges; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1011-1012W.

Bus Services: Bedfordshire

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the proposed Translink guided busway between Dunstable and Luton.

Gillian Merron: The Translink scheme was granted provisional approval in December 2003. Following a public inquiry, an order under the Transport and Works Act 1968 was issued on 2 November 2006 granting Luton powers they would need to commence construction of the scheme. It is now for Luton to prepare a revised business case for the Department to consider before deciding whether to grant funding approval to begin procurement.

Departments: Databases

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what databases are controlled by his Department and its agencies; and what percentage of the data in each database he estimates is inaccurate or out of date.

Gillian Merron: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

London Underground: Rolling Stock

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the letter of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) of 8 February 2007, how he expects the £3.1 billion spending on London Underground's train fleet sub-surface upgrade to be divided between  (a) new trains,  (b) new signalling and  (c) other line/network improvements; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 6 March 2007
	Responsibility for London Underground passed to Transport for London and ultimately the Mayor on 15 July 2003. Performance and operation of the PPP Contracts is a matter for London Underground (LU). Delivery of the sub-surface line upgrades rests with LU's PPP contractors and they will determine the amounts to be spent on the different elements of the upgrade in order to meet the outcomes described in the PPP contracts. As I stated in my letter of 8 February, about £266 million is being invested in new rolling stock (trains) and £433 million will be invested in new signalling, between 2005 and 2010, significant further investment will occur after 2010. It is not possible to disaggregate other investments such as the on-going station refurbishment programme or track replacement costs from the payments made by London Underground to its PPP contractors.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response he has made to the report by Steve Langdon on the misregistration of vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I am not aware of this publication.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent action he has taken to tackle the misregistration of motor vehicles.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government has introduced a series of new measures to tackle misregistration of vehicles, which can take the form of vehicle cloning or registration of vehicles at incorrect addresses.
	Measures to tackle vehicle cloning include new powers in the Road Safety Act 2006 to extend the regulation of number plate suppliers throughout the UK. Other measures include the introduction in 2006 of a standard for theft resistant number plates and the tightening up of vehicle registration procedures to prevent the use of scrapped vehicles to disguise the identity of stolen vehicles.
	Measures to tackle registration of vehicles at incorrect addresses include identity checks on those registering imported vehicles and liaison with the police on applications from known 'mail-drop' addresses.
	It is now an offence under the Serious Organised Crime Act (2005) to use an incorrectly registered vehicle.

Official Cars

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was raised through the sale of cars by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government Car and Despatch Agency sold the following cars:
	
		
			   Number of cars sold  Sale proceeds (£) 
			 2002-03 45 156,699.36 
			 2003-04 38 133,632.31 
			 2004-05 77 223,014.74 
			 2005-06 85 312,053.36 
			 2006-07 75 305,930.15

Road Traffic: Accidents

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) date and  (b) location.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported personal injury road accidents in the parliamentary constituency of Eastbourne in each year since 1997 is given as follows. Separate figures for the date and location of each accident could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Number of accidents 
			 1997 305 
			 1998 359 
			 1999 356 
			 2000 330 
			 2001 321 
			 2002 348 
			 2003 358 
			 2004 340 
			 2005 309

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: Acute Beds

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received on the transport infrastructure implications of the relocation of acute hospital services by West Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport has received no such representations.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cluster Munitions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Oslo conference on cluster munitions; and how her Department plans to implement the agreement reached at the conference.

Margaret Beckett: The UK is pleased to be able to support the Oslo Declaration, committing us to work towards a new legally binding instrument on cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The UK's interpretive statement at Oslo explains how this fits with our national policy available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&cid=1163677198241.
	We will pursue the aim agreed at Oslo with all the users and producers through the convention on certain conventional weapons and other relevant fora.

Cluster Munitions

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) US,  (b) Russian,  (c) Chinese and  (d) Israeli counterparts on the outcome of the Oslo conference on cluster munitions; what the outcome was of those discussions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I have not discussed cluster munitions with my US, Russian, Chinese or Israeli counterparts since the Oslo conference (22-23 February). The UK delegation to the conference on disarmament in Geneva has spoken to the aforementioned countries on the outcome of the Oslo conference and on addressing the issue of cluster munitions within the convention on certain conventional weapons. We continue to remain in close contact with these and other interested Governments on this important issue.

Cluster Munitions

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the Oslo conference on cluster munitions held on 22 and 23 February.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Michael Moore) today (UIN 124549).

Colombia: EC Aid

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department had with the Colombian Defence Minister during his recent visit on  (a) UK and  (b) EU support for Plan Colombia, part II; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Kim Howells, held constructive talks with the Colombian Defence Minister, Juan Manuel Santos, during his recent visit to London. There was no specific mention of Plan Colombia, part II. However, issues discussed during the meeting included the peace process in Colombia and human rights reforms in the Colombian military. My hon. Friend the Minister of State also expressed the UK's continuing support on counter-narcotics and stated that the UK was keen to encourage other EU member states to support Colombia in its counter- narcotics efforts.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent assessment is of the observance of  (a) human rights and  (b) women's rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ian McCartney: The human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is still poor. Congolese civilians, particularly in eastern DRC, continue to suffer abuses committed by members of the Congolese armed forces and militia groups. A climate of impunity prevails.
	Widespread sexual violence is still prevalent, especially in the east. It is perpetrated mainly by the armed forces and frequently goes unpunished. Representation of women in Government, Parliament and the commercial sector is still low, despite strong assertion of equal rights in the new constitution. The UK is continuing its efforts to mainstream gender in its development assistance, but the most immediate impact will be felt through bringing about army reform and strengthening the justice sector.
	The UK will continue to remind the DRC authorities of the need to protect the rights of all vulnerable groups and to bring to justice all perpetrators of abuse.

Departments: St George's Day

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans her Department has to celebrate St. George's Day.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has no central plans to celebrate St. George's Day. FCO staff overseas may be involved in celebrating local St. George's Day activities.

Hissene Habre

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) the Government of Senegal and  (b) her EU counterparts on the trial of the former president of Chad, Hissene Habre, and potential EU assistance in that trial.

Ian McCartney: The UK has regular consultations with EU colleagues on the progress of Hissene Habre's trial, most recently in the Africa Working Group on 28 February. We will continue, with the EU, to discuss and review the development of the trial.
	Our ambassador in Dakar made representations to the Government of Senegal in October 2006 to urge them to pass the required legislation to enable the trial of Hissene Habre to be held in Senegal with minimum delay. We welcome the passing of the necessary legislation by the Sengalese National Assembly on 31 January 2007 to permit a trial to take place in Senegal and urge the Government of Senegal to expedite the process.

Indonesia: Defence Equipment

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions concerning strategic exports Ministers in her Department had with Indonesian Ministers during their visit to the UK in January; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: On 31 January I had discussions with the Indonesian Trade Minister on promoting bilateral trade and investment.
	On the same day, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary took part in a bilateral forum with the Indonesian Foreign, Trade and Defence Ministers, which covered the Doha Development Round and the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Association of South East Asian Nations.
	No strategic export sectors were discussed.

Iran: Hezbollah

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what her assessment is of the impact of recent efforts to enforce UNSCR 1559 and 1701 on the transfer of  (a) funds and  (b) weapons to Hezbollah from Iran; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the level of funding provided to Hezbollah by Iran since August 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Following UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1701, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has deployed over 11,000 troops in South Lebanon. UNIFIL also operates a Maritime Task Force, which assists the Government of Lebanon in implementing UNSCR 1701. In addition, the Lebanese armed forces have deployed 8,500 troops in South Lebanon and 8,500 troops along the Lebanon/Syria border. The UK and other international partners are working with the Government of Lebanon to strengthen Lebanon's border monitoring capability further. We continue to receive credible reports that Iran continues to supply Hezbollah with financing and weapons, but we cannot reliably estimate the level of this.
	We call on Iran and other regional states and Hezbollah to comply with UNSCRs 1559, 1680 and 1701.

Iraq: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Iraqi counterpart on the proposed referendum on the future of the Kirkuk; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I discussed the proposed referendum on the future of Kirkuk during my meeting with Prime Minister Maliki and Foreign Minister Zebari during their visit to the UK in July 2006 and my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Middle East (Dr. Howells) discussed the proposed referendum during his visit to Kurdish-administered Iraq in July 2006. We continue to raise the prospects for Kirkuk in our meetings with the Iraqi and Kurdish regional governments.

Japan: Dolphins

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports she has received on the recent slaughter and sale of dolphins off the Japanese coast;
	(2)  what recent meetings she has had with Japan on the slaughter and sale of dolphins.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no assessment and has had no meetings.
	Stock assessments of whales and small cetaceans are the responsibility of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), of which the UK is an active member. The UK opposes the hunting of dolphins and porpoises by Japan and regularly raises the matter with Japanese representatives at the IWC.

Kamal Al-Labwani

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions representatives of the UK Government have been present at legal proceedings in Syria concerning Dr. Kamal al-Labwani; what assessment she has made of the legal proceedings; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Representatives of the Government have been present regularly at legal proceedings in Syria concerning Dr. Kamal al-Labwani.
	Dr. Kamal al-Labwani, a Syrian national, is being detained at the Adra criminal prison. He was arrested in October 2005 on his return from the United States. He is being tried under article 264 of the Syrian Penal Code, accused of inciting a foreign power to commit an aggressive act against Syria. He is also accused of spreading lies and false information against the state.

Kamal Al-Labwani

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether representatives of the UK Government will attend future legal proceedings in Syria concerning Dr. Kamal al-Labwani; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Representatives of the EU and the US embassy in Damascus will continue to attend the trial of Dr. Kamal al-Labwani. An official from our embassy in Damascus attends the trial regularly as part of the EU delegation.

Lebanon: Syria

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1765-6W, on the international arms embargo, what progress has been made by the Government of Syria and the Government of Lebanon in  (a) setting up an effective interdiction regime to give effect to the arms embargo set out in UNSCR 1701 and  (b) establishing joint Lebanese-Syrian border patrols.

Margaret Beckett: Following UN Security Council Resolution 1701 the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has deployed over 11,000 troops. UNIFIL has been successful in large parts of its mandate, especially in helping the Lebanese armed forces extend to the South of Lebanon and tighten sea and air borders. The international community continues to work with the Government of Lebanon to improve the security of its borders. However, we have seen little progress on setting up an effective interdiction regime by the Government of Syria, and joint Lebanese/Syrian border patrols have not been established.

NATO: EC Action

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who represented the United Kingdom at the informal translatlantic meeting of EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation foreign ministers of 7 December 2005.

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend, the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) attended the informal transatlantic dinner event.

Palestinians

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the extent of UK involvement in security-related projects in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Margaret Beckett: We remain concerned at the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and continue to work closely with international partners to improve the situation on the ground.
	The UK plays a significant role in supporting the Palestinian security forces (our bilateral funding this financial year has been over US$1.6 million). The major projects are: US$320,000 for the maintenance of secure communications equipment for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces; US$600,000 for two secondees to the EU Police Co-ordination for the Palestinian Police Service (EUPOL COPPS); and US$700,000 for non-lethal equipment for the Presidential Guard. In respect of this last item, we informed the House about this project on 8 February. All these projects have been or will be financed through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool.
	We also strongly support EU security work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our assessed contribution to the European Security and Defence Policy Missions, EU Border Assistance Mission and EUPOL COPPS, amounts to US$3.8 million.
	The UK is also working closely with US Security Co-ordinator General Dayton and his team in support of Security Sector Transformation within the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Karni Crossing Project to improve the flow of goods from Gaza. We have seconded a military liaison officer and a police adviser to General Dayton's team. A training officer is due to go out to the region shortly.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the visit of the President of the Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia to the UK on 21 to 22 February.

Margaret Beckett: President Yusuf of the Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia visited the UK as a guest of the Government. His programme included calls on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham. He also called on the Foreign Affairs Committee and spoke at Chatham House.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Minister for Africa had on the independence of Somaliland from Somalia when she met the President of the Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia on 22 February; what the outcome was of the discussions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The independence of Somaliland was not discussed in any detail when President Yusuf of the Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia met my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, on 22 February. We continue to encourage the Transitional Federal Government and institutions to discuss with the Somaliland authorities all issues of mutual interest.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1744, on Somalia; and what assessment she has made of its possible implementation.

Margaret Beckett: We welcome the unanimous adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1744, sponsored by the UK, on 20 February 2007. It authorises the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), as well as reiterating the need for reconciliation and a political process in Somalia and permitting support to the Transitional Federal Government and institutions to develop their own security sector. We commend the AU for establishing AMISOM and welcome the expected contributions from AU countries.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1725, on Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1725 has largely been overtaken by the adoption of UNSCR 1744 on 20 February 2007, following recent events in Somalia. Part of UNSCR 1725's focus was on the Union of Islamic Courts which has ceased to exist as an entity. Another part of its focus was on a peacekeeping mission of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Somalia, which has now been replaced by the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Minister for Africa had on efforts to establish an African Union peacekeeping force for Somalia with the President of Transitional Federal Government of Somalia when they met on 22 February; what the outcome was of those discussions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, discussed the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with President Yusuf of Somalia when they met on 22 February. They agreed the arrival of AMISOM would help the security situation in Somalia and allow Ethiopia to withdraw. Lord Triesman also welcomed President Yusuf's earlier announcement of a National Reconciliation Congress, which will contribute to stabilising the political situation. The UK stands ready to assist this process.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation the Government have maintained at African Union discussions on establishing a peacekeeping force for Somalia; what role those representatives played at the discussions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Our embassy in Addis Ababa has been closely involved in discussions on the establishment of the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with our counterparts in the AU and other international partners also supporting AMISOM. In particular, they have stressed the importance of AMISOM replacing Ethiopian troops in order to avoid a security vacuum.
	The embassy's contribution is directed at encouraging potential troop contributing countries to commit troops, supporting the AU in developing detailed deployment plans and working with the AU's other international partners, notably the EU, UN and the United States, to join in this effort in order to seize this historic opportunity to bring peace and stability to Somalia. UN Security Council Resolution 1744 of 20 February, which was sponsored by the UK, authorised the deployment of AMISOM.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the progress of efforts to secure an African Union peacekeeping force for Somalia; and what resources the Government have offered to contribute to this force.

Margaret Beckett: We welcome the expected contributions to the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia from Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Burundi and Malawi and hope further countries will also offer troops.
	In addition to advisory support to the AU through our representation to the AU, based in our embassy in Addis Ababa, we are considering a significant financial contribution in this financial year to help fund the cost of the mission. We will consider further support as detailed plans for the mission develop.

Somalia: Official Visits

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of progress towards the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia; whether she has discussed this issue with her  (a) Ethiopian,  (b) Somali,  (c) European Union and  (d) United States counterparts; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Ethiopian troops have begun to withdraw from Somalia, in line with the Ethiopian Government's stated intention. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, and UK Government officials have had discussions with representatives of Ethiopia, Somalia, the European Union and the United States. There is general agreement that Ethiopia needs to continue to withdraw as the African Union mission in Somalia deploys, to avoid a security vacuum in Somalia.

South America: Cocaine

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to tackle cocaine imported into the UK from South America.

Kim Howells: Preventing the importation of cocaine from Latin America into the UK is a top priority for the UK's international counter-narcotics efforts. The UK works closely with host Governments to disrupt trafficking, and to seize consignments of illicit drugs and their financial proceeds. We are helping to build capacity among the region's law enforcement agencies and judiciary, with the provision of training and equipment. We work closely with other partners including the EU and US to maximise joint effort.
	The UK devotes considerable resources within the region in its fight against cocaine and in helping to reduce harm to the UK. Through its Drugs and Crime Fund, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated some £1.7 million to specific projects to support counter-narcotics efforts in the Latin American region since 2005. For the financial year commencing April 2007, a sum of £960,000 has provisionally been allocated.
	The Government take a broad approach to tackling the trade in illicit drugs, through a mix of political engagement, capacity building and law enforcement support in producer, transit and consumer countries. This includes working with Governments of producer and transit countries in Latin America, as well as with Governments in countries along the main trafficking routes for drugs from Latin America (especially through the Caribbean and West Africa).

Sudan: Asylum

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of  (a) levels of internal conflict within the Central African Republic and  (b) the impact of the conflict in Darfur on security and numbers of refugees in the Republic.

Ian McCartney: The UK is concerned over the ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). We were pleased to see reports of the peace agreement made on 2 February between President Bozize and various rebel groups operating in the CAR, which provides for an immediate cessation of hostilities. We hope that this will promote the advance of national reconciliation and the agreement of a comprehensive accord to be signed by all the national stakeholders.
	The CAR suffers from internal conflict and from the impact of instability in the region. The UK will continue to work with the UN and other member states to determine how the deployment of a peacekeeping force to Chad and the CAR could best improve security in the region.

Sudan: Asylum

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the number who have  (a) died,  (b) become internally displaced and  (c) become refugees into neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: There are no reliable figures for the number of persons that have died across Darfur as a result of the conflict. However, a frequently-quoted, and plausible, figure is 200,000. An estimated 2 million people have been displaced in Darfur and a further 2 million remained displaced as a result of the earlier conflict between the north and south; though many of the latter are now returning. As a result of the Darfur conflict there are 233,000 Darfuri refugees in eastern Chad. There are 340,000 refugees from southern Sudan in neighbouring countries.
	Every death and every displacement in Sudan is a tragedy. We call on all sides to cease the violence in Darfur immediately, to renew the political process and accept the African Union/UN peacekeeping force for Darfur.

Sudan: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the UN on those cited for human rights abuses in Darfur as a result of the International Criminal Court investigation.

Ian McCartney: The Government welcome the fact that the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor's investigation has got to the point at which he is able to ask for the issuing of summonses. It is now for the judges to decide whether to approve this request. The UK has not discussed the individuals under investigation with the UN given the ICC's independent status. However, UK officials are in regular contact with officials of the ICC about a range of issues and the court continues to have the Government's full support for its activities.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has held with counterparts on the United Nations Security Council on a peacekeeping force for  (a) the Central African Republic and  (b) Chad to prevent incursions from Darfur.

Ian McCartney: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, travelled to New York on 21 February to discuss the deteriorating situation in the region with the UN. In addition, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular consultations with colleagues from other Security Council member states on the current situation in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).
	We remain very concerned about the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad and CAR and the over spill of violence from Darfur. We take every opportunity to call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to implement their commitments to respect each other's borders and honour their obligations to protect their citizens.
	On 27 February, Assistant Secretary-General Hedi Annabi briefed the Security Council in closed consultations on the Secretary-General's recommendations for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Chad and CAR following a second Technical Assessment Mission to the two countries.
	The UK will continue to work with the UN and other member states to determine if and how the deployment of a peacekeeping force could best improve security in the region.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the Government of Sudan's position on an African Union/United Nations force in Darfur.

Ian McCartney: The Government of Sudan agreed in Addis Ababa in November 2006 to a phased increase of UN support to the African Union (AU) Mission in Sudan, subject to clarification on the size of the final stage, which is a hybrid UN/AU force. The details of the hybrid are currently being worked out between the AU and UN. We call upon the Government of Sudan to facilitate the implementation of these once they have been finalised.

Sudan: Peace Keeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the United Nations mission in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) plays a crucial role in supporting the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005. It has supported the political process and reported on ceasefire violations. It has also provided much-needed security for the CPA to progress. We, along with partners in the international community, work closely with UNMIS and the Government of Sudan to that end. UN agencies provide substantial humanitarian assistance in the south.
	The UN Secretary-General stated in his report on Sudan of 25 January that the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee, chaired by UNMIS, was facilitating dialogue between the military forces of the north and south and resolving military violations of the CPA.
	The UN also plays an important role in Darfur. It provides much of the humanitarian assistance there and co-ordinates the work of other agencies. It performs well in difficult circumstances. It is also implementing its phased support package to the African Union (AU) Mission in Sudan and is working with the AU to secure the agreement of the rebels to the Darfur Peace Agreement. We are encouraging it to undertake both these tasks as rapidly as possible.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the UK Government have provided to bring together the Darfur rebel groups and the Government of Sudan.

Ian McCartney: The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to bring peace to Darfur. We assisted the African Union (AU) mediation between the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements at the Abuja peace talks, which concluded in May 2006, with funding of £1 million and expertise. We maintained a permanent observer presence throughout the talks, including by our UK Special Representative. Since then we have been funding work to help the AU explain the benefits of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) to the people of Darfur. And we are funding an expert to support the AU on the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development attended the UN high-level meeting in Addis Ababa on 16 November 2006, which agreed that the AU and UN would bring the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements together in a renewed political process. We have been pressing the AU and UN for urgent progress. UN and AU Envoys (Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim) visited Sudan on 11-17 February to take this process forward with the parties.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has pressed the UN Secretary-General for rapid action and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, visited the UN on 21 February to press for further progress. Officials from our embassy in Khartoum met the UN and AU envoys during their visit. The UK's Special Representative for Sudan, Christopher Prentice, will remain in close contact with them and our other international partners, as well as with the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements, to press for results.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the comprehensive peace agreement in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: Some progress is being made on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). A Government of National Unity have been established in Khartoum. The Sudanese armed forces are redeploying from the south ahead of schedule and integrated northern/southern military units have been created. The administration in the south is starting to develop and roads are starting to be built there. A new currency has been launched in southern Sudan.
	But progress remains too slow. The establishment of key peace-building bodies and the passage of legislation required by the agreement are behind schedule. Of particular concern is the lack of preparation for national elections, which are due to take place by 2009. An urgent resolution is also needed of the Abyei and north/south border disputes. And oil revenues need to be allocated transparently between the central and southern Governments.
	The UK continues to press for more progress through its membership of the CPA implementation oversight body. We are also supporting CPA implementation directly through development and humanitarian assistance (£110 million in 2006-07). We have drawn the attention of all parts of the Sudanese Government and the international community to the risks posed to the CPA by continued violence in Darfur.

UK Trade and Investment: Manpower

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many commercial officers and UK Trade and Investment staff were employed in each UK overseas mission in each of the last 10 years.

Ian McCartney: The figures set out the number of full-time equivalent staff working on UK Trade and Investment activity in posts worldwide for the financial years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. Figures for earlier years are not readily available and it would incur disproportionate cost to compile them.
	
		
			   FTE staff by year 
			  Post  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Abidjan 2.6 2.9 0.1 
			 Abu Dhabi 10.6 10.5 8.7 
			 Abuja 1.9 1.9 2.1 
			 Accra 6.3 6.4 5.2 
			 Addis Ababa 2.4 2.2 2.1 
			 Adelaide 1.4 1.4 1.3 
			 Aden 1.0 1.0 0.0 
			 Ahmedabad 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Al Khobar 5.2 5.3 3.5 
			 Aleppo 1.5 1.5 1.0 
			 Alexandria 3.2 3.2 2.8 
			 Algiers 2.2 4.2 4.2 
			 Almaty 3.7 3.5 2.9 
			 Amman 7.1 7.1 6.4 
			 Ankara 7.9 7.9 5.8 
			 Antananarivo 1.7 1.7 0.2 
			 Ashgabat 1.9 2.2 0.0 
			 Asmara 0.1 0.0 0.0 
			 Asuncion 3.4 3.4 0.0 
			 Athens 11.7 11.7 7.3 
			 Atlanta 12.3 11.6 10.4 
			 Atyrau 0.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Auckland 9.0 10.0 9.3 
			 Baghdad 4.0 3.0 5.4 
			 Bahrain 4.2 5.2 3.8 
			 Baku 4.0 4.2 2.3 
			 Bamako 0.2 0.2 0.0 
			 Bandar Seri Begawan 2.3 2.2 2.0 
			 Bangalore 6.9 6.7 7.0 
			 Bangkok 14.4 14.7 14.5 
			 Banja Luka 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Banjul 0.6 0.2 0.1 
			 Barcelona 8.2 8.7 8.7 
			 Basra 0.0 2.0 2.2 
			 Beijing 27.6 27.9 28.1 
			 Beirut 4.5 4.2 3.2 
			 Belgrade 5.5 5.2 6.2 
			 Belmopan 1.0 1.0 0.3 
			 Belo Horizonte 1.8 1.8 1.8 
			 Berlin 6.4 6.4 7.4 
			 Berne 13.1 13.9 12.2 
			 Bhopal 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Bilbao 2.9 3.0 2.7 
			 Bogota 7.3 7.3 4.4 
			 Bordeaux 2.3 2.8 3.7 
			 Boston 9.9 11.4 11.4 
			 Brasilia 5.2 5.1 5.7 
			 Bratislava 4.9 5.1 5.0 
			 Bridgetown 4.6 4.3 4.4 
			 Brisbane 4.6 4.6 4.4 
			 Brussels Embassy 11.9 11.5 10.7 
			 Brussels UKREP 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Bucharest 8.7 8.8 8.3 
			 Budapest 15.3 15.5 15.4 
			 Buenos Aires 9.2 8.9 7.8 
			 Cairo 10.4 9.6 9.2 
			 Calgary 2.7 2.7 1.8 
			 Canberra 0.5 0.6 0.6 
			 Cape Town 5.0 5.2 3.0 
			 Caracas 8.7 6.3 5.0 
			 Casablanca 7.6 7.0 5.3 
			 Castries 0.7 0.6 0.0 
			 Chennai 9.0 7.1 7.3 
			 Chicago 18.8 19.6 18.3 
			 Chisinau 0.1 0.0 0.0 
			 Chittagong 1.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Chongqing 6.1 8.9 9.9 
			 Colombo 6.6 5.0 6.0 
			 Conakry 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Copenhagen 13.1 14.1 12.2 
			 Curitiba 2.5 2.5 2.5 
			 Dakar 2.2 2.1 1.1 
			 Dallas 3.4 3.4 2.3 
			 Damascus 6.2 6.2 5.2 
			 Dar es Salaam 4.2 3.7 2.2 
			 Denver 3.2 3.2 0.0 
			 Dhaka 5.2 5.2 3.7 
			 Doha 8.2 8.1 7.5 
			 Douala 1.2 1.7 0.0 
			 Dubai 10.9 11.0 9.9 
			 Dublin 14.7 16.2 13.2 
			 Durban 4.5 2.6 3.0 
			 Dushanbe 0.2 0.1 0.1 
			 Dusseldorf 25.9 27.8 27.8 
			 Florence 1.8 1.9 1.8 
			 Frankfurt 5.7 5.7 5.7 
			 Freetown 0.5 0.5 0.1 
			 Fukuoka 1.9 1.9 0.0 
			 Gaborone 0.7 0.7 0.1 
			 Geneva 2.0 2.1 1.8 
			 Georgetown 1.4 1.6 1.1 
			 Gothenburg 4.6 4.6 4.8 
			 Guadalajara 3.0 3.0 2.0 
			 Guangzhou 13.3 17.3 16.7 
			 Guatemala City 1.5 1.5 1.7 
			 Guayaquil 2.0 2.0 1.9 
			 Hague, The 12.7 12.4 10.3 
			 Hamburg 9.0 8.1 6.7 
			 Hanoi 5.0 4.7 5.0 
			 Harare 3.6 3.3 1.1 
			 Havana 2.8 2.6 1.7 
			 Helsinki 11.8 12.9 9.2 
			 Ho Chi Minh City 6.8 6.8 6.5 
			 Hong Kong 23.3 24.2 24.9 
			 Houston 10.4 10.1 9.4 
			 Hyderabad 2.0 4.0 3.0 
			 Islamabad 7.1 3.1 1.2 
			 Istanbul 12.0 9.7 9.1 
			 Jakarta 12.6 12.7 5.1 
			 Jedda 5.2 5.2 3.2 
			 Jerusalem 1.7 1.6 1.1 
			 Johannesburg 22.1 22.3 18.2 
			 Kabul 0.2 0.3 0.2 
			 Kaduna 1.1 1.1 0.0 
			 Kampala 2.8 2.8 2.8 
			 Kaohsiung 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Karachi 8.1 8.1 6.5 
			 Kathmandu 1.1 0.9 0.1 
			 Khartoum 2.0 2.0 1.6 
			 Kiev 4.2 4.1 3.4 
			 Kigali 0.6 0.6 0.0 
			 Kingston 4.3 4.1 3.2 
			 Kingstown 0.5 0.5 0.0 
			 Kinshasa 0.2 0.2 0.0 
			 Kolkata 8.8 6.6 6.6 
			 Kuala Lumpur 20.8 20.7 18.2 
			 Kuwait 7.1 7.2 7.3 
			 La Paz 2.3 2.3 2.2 
			 Lagos 12.2 11.2 9.6 
			 Lahore 4.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Las Palmas 2.2 2.2 2.2 
			 Leipzig 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Lille 5.0 5.0 4.9 
			 Lilongwe 1.1 1.1 0.0 
			 Lima 7.0 5.6 4.6 
			 Lisbon 12.6 10.4 9.4 
			 Ljubljana 3.6 4.1 4.1 
			 Lome 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Los Angeles 11.9 11.9 11.3 
			 Luanda 5.4 5.3 3.2 
			 Lusaka 0.8 0.7 0.0 
			 Luxembourg 0.8 0.9 1.0 
			 Lyon 5.1 5.3 5.3 
			 Madrid 17.6 17.6 19.2 
			 Malaga 2.0 2.0 0.0 
			 Managua 0.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Manila 13.3 13.6 11.6 
			 Maputo 2.5 2.7 2.4 
			 Marseilles 3.2 3.1 2.5 
			 Mbabane 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Melbourne 9.5 9.5 8.5 
			 Mexico City 16.5 16.4 15.5 
			 Miami 5.8 4.6 3.2 
			 Milan 19.7 19.7 20.1 
			 Minsk 0.9 0.9 0.0 
			 Monterrey 4.6 4.6 5.2 
			 Montevideo 2.4 2.1 1.9 
			 Montreal 6.1 6.1 5.1 
			 Moscow 11.0 11.7 10.2 
			 Mumbai 20.6 20.3 21.9 
			 Munich 8.0 8.5 8.4 
			 Muscat 6.1 4.5 4.2 
			 Nagoya 3.3 4.3 2.8 
			 Nairobi 6.1 6.2 3.9 
			 Naples 2.1 2.1 2.1 
			 Nassau 1.1 0.1 0.0 
			 New Delhi 28.9 26.5 25.6 
			 New York 32.3 42.1 38.3 
			 Nicosia 5.6 5.3 5.2 
			 Nuku'alofa 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 Oporto 2.2 2.2 0.0 
			 Osaka 17.9 18.4 17.7 
			 Oslo 15.5 15.4 12.9 
			 Ottawa 3.7 4.6 1.3 
			 Panama City 2.2 2.1 2.0 
			 Paris 36.2 38.0 33.3 
			 Perth 3.4 3.5 3.5 
			 Phnom Penh 0.3 0.3 0.0 
			 Phoenix 1.9 1.9 1.9 
			 Port Harcourt 2.0 2.0 1.9 
			 Port Louis 2.1 2.1 0.0 
			 Port Moresby 1.0 0.9 0.7 
			 Port of Spain 4.9 4.6 3.8 
			 Port Vila 0.1 0.1 0.0 
			 Portimao 0.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Porto Alegre 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Prague 12.6 12.7 12.5 
			 Pretoria 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Pune 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Quito 1.9 1.9 1.5 
			 Rabat 0.9 0.9 0.5 
			 Recife 1.9 1.9 1.9 
			 Reykjavik 2.4 2.5 2.2 
			 Riga 3.4 4.6 5.6 
			 Rio de Janeiro 12.8 9.8 9.1 
			 Riyadh 10.7 10.3 8.8 
			 Rome 5.6 5.5 4.0 
			 San Francisco 13.6 14.2 13.2 
			 San Jose 3.1 2.1 1.9 
			 San Juan 2.0 1.9 1.0 
			 Sanaa 3.4 2.2 1.7 
			 Santiago 9.4 8.9 6.7 
			 Santo Domingo 2.0 1.7 1.7 
			 Sao Paulo 25.0 18.1 16.1 
			 Sarajevo 3.1 3.0 3.5 
			 Seattle 4.2 5.0 4.0 
			 Seoul 19.9 19.9 16.7 
			 Shanghai 17.6 16.4 19.3 
			 Singapore 18.4 19.5 16.4 
			 Skopje 2.3 2.3 0.1 
			 Sofia 4.9 4.8 5.0 
			 Split 0.3 0.3 0.0 
			 St. George's 0.4 0.3 0.0 
			 St. John's 0.6 0.6 0.0 
			 St. Petersburg 3.6 3.6 3.3 
			 Stavanger 0.7 1.0 0.0 
			 Stockholm 14.8 14.8 13.3 
			 Stuttgart 4.8 5.2 5.2 
			 Suva 1.9 1.8 1.5 
			 Sydney 14.5 14.6 14.2 
			 Taipei 18.2 18.2 16.2 
			 Tallinn 3.1 4.1 3.8 
			 Tashkent 1.7 1.7 0.1 
			 Tbilisi 2.5 2.1 0.0 
			 Tegucigalpa 0.7 0.0 0.0 
			 Tehran 6.7 6.7 6.1 
			 Tel Aviv 8.2 8.4 7.4 
			 Thessaloniki 0.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Tirana 1.2 1.1 0.1 
			 Tokyo 46.8 44.9 41.3 
			 Toronto 17.9 20.0 16.4 
			 Tripoli 6.7 6.7 6.0 
			 Tunis 4.6 4.6 2.2 
			 Ulaanbaatar 0.9 0.9 0.1 
			 Valletta 3.5 3.4 3.1 
			 Vancouver 6.1 7.1 5.8 
			 Victoria 0.7 0.6 0.0 
			 Vienna 7.7 7.7 6.5 
			 Vientiane 0.3 0.2 0.0 
			 Vilnius 2.8 3.8 3.7 
			 Warsaw 18.0 18.8 18.8 
			 Washington 9.2 8.2 8.0 
			 Wellington 0.4 0.3 0.4 
			 Windhoek 0.6 0.5 0.1 
			 Yaounde 0.2 0.3 0.1 
			 Yekaterinburg 2.6 2.7 2.6 
			 Yerevan 2.3 2.2 0.0 
			 Zagreb 4.2 5.2 3.7 
			 Grand total 1,530.8 1,528.6 1,338.2

Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what overseas visits she plans over the next 12 months.

Margaret Beckett: Foreign engagements for both myself and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions are often not possible until shortly before the day of travel.

Zimbabwe: Political Prisoners

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of political prisoners in Zimbabwe.

Ian McCartney: There are now very few political prisoners in Zimbabwe, in the sense of those serving prison sentences for holding or advocating dissenting political views. However, arrests and detentions on political grounds are commonplace, for example for participating in demonstrations or attending public meetings. In 2006 human rights organisations registered more than 2,500 of these cases, but without a single conviction. We are concerned that the recent ban on political rallies may well lead to an increase in such incidents. We oppose the ban as well as the arrest and detention of any persons in Zimbabwe on political grounds.

SCOTLAND

Carbon Sequestration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the use of carbon capture and storage technology in Scotland.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) during Scottish Questions on 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 747.

Departments: Databases

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what databases are controlled by his Department; and what percentage of the data in each database he estimates is inaccurate or out of date.

David Cairns: The primary role of the Scotland Office is to deal with issues of constitutional policy arising from the Scotland Act 1998, including the conduct of elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Office maintains only internal databases relating to its expenditure.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of monitoring the time spent processing requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the purposes of the proposed fees regulations.

David Cairns: I refer my hon. Friend to the Answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Constitutional Affairs, on 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1926W.

Orkney

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many visits were made by Ministers in his Department to  (a) Orkney and  (b) Shetland in each year since 1983.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since then—from the records available—my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling (Mrs. McGuire), attended the Highlands and Islands Convention in Shetland in March 2005.
	I attended the Highlands and Islands Convention in Orkney in April 2006.

Smith Institute: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money from the public purse  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies gave to (i) the Smith Institute and (ii) its subsidiary SI Events Limited in each year since 1997; and for what purpose each payment was made.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has made no payments to the Smith Institute or SI Events Limited.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children and young people between the ages of 12 and 20 years requiring hospital treatment for  (a) alcohol and  (b) substance misuse were accommodated in adult psychiatric units in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The number of children and young people between the ages of 12 to 20 years requiring hospital treatment for  (a) alcohol and  (b) substance misuse who were accommodated in adult psychiatric units in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Alcohol  Substance misuse 
			 2003-04 40 71 
			 2004-05 45 34 
			 2005-06 33 52 
			  Note: Any individual requiring hospital treatment for both alcohol and substance misuse will be counted in both columns.  Source:  HSS Trusts.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were employed through employment agencies in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  (a) Department 
			   Department totals 
			 2002-03 26 
			 2003-04 21 
			 2004-05 15 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2006-07 6 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Agencies 
			   Comp. Agency  Youth Justice Agency  Crown Solicitors Office  Forensic Science Northern Ireland  Public Prosecution Service  Northern Ireland Prison Service  Agency totals 
			 2002-03 — — 3 1 3 0 7 
			 2003-04 — — 3 1 3 0 7 
			 2004-05 2 7 4 4 3 16 36 
			 2005-06 — 10 4 12 3 9 38 
			 2006-07 — 12 4 12 3 5 36 
		
	
	Information regarding (i) average and (ii) longest time for which these temporary workers were employed in each year is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland patrol vehicles are in operation in each district command unit area in Northern Ireland, broken down by vehicle type.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the PSNI that the deployment of patrol vehicles is a matter for the Chief Constable. For operational reasons PSNI does not provide details of the types of vehicle deployed in each area.
	An overall deployment by District Command Unit is in the following tables.
	
		
			  PSNI vehicles by DCU 
			   Number 
			 Antrim 147 
			 Ards 36 
			 Armagh 94 
			 Ballymena 74 
			 Ballymoney 11 
			 Banbridge 16 
			 Carrickfergus 18 
			 Castlereagh 223 
			 Coleraine 37 
			 Cookstown 19 
			 Craigavon 109 
			 Down 49 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 30 
			 East Belfast 105 
			 Fermanagh 73 
			 Foyle 152 
			 Larne 14 
			 Limavady 39 
			 Lisburn 134 
			 Magherafelt 21 
			 Moyle 9 
			 Newry and Mourne 53 
			 Newtownabbey 55 
			 North Belfast 118 
			 North Down 31 
			 Omagh 32 
			 South Belfast 79 
			 Strabane 45 
			 West Belfast 106 
		
	
	
		
			  PSNI Vehicles by type 
			   Number 
			 4 wheel drive 201 
			 Landrover APC 372 
			 Motorcycle 110 
			 Saloon car 1062 
			 Van 184 
			 Grand total 1929

Public Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether contributions under the Republic of Ireland's National Development Plan to public sector projects in Northern Ireland will be treated by the Government as additional to increases in the block grant for Northern Ireland provided for under the Barnett formula; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Any contributions from the Republic of Ireland's National Development Plan to public sector projects in Northern Ireland will be treated as additional to funding allocations determined via the application of the Barnett formula.

Public Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the role of the Strategic Investment Board is in determining which projects in Northern Ireland should receive money from the National Development Plan of the Republic of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Strategic Investment Board has not been given any role in determining which projects in Northern Ireland should receive money from the National Development Plan of the Republic of Ireland.

Public Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether planned expenditure on public sector projects in Northern Ireland under the National Development Plan of the Republic of Ireland will be scrutinised by the Northern Ireland Audit Office.

David Hanson: Questions relating to the Northern Ireland Audit Office's scrutiny of public expenditure are matters for the Comptroller and Auditor General who will write to the hon. Member on this matter.

Young People: Rehabilitation

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent in each of the last three years by each of the Northern Ireland health boards on  (a) support and travelling costs and  (b) treatment costs for children and young people between the ages of 12 to 20 years being treated in specialist treatment and rehabilitation centres in the UK or Republic of Ireland for psychological and other problems in addition to (i) alcohol and (ii) substance misuse.

Paul Goggins: The Health Boards advise that they do not commission services in relation to (i) alcohol and (ii) substance misuse for children and young people between the ages of 12 to 20 outside of Northern Ireland. For services delivered within Northern Ireland the information requested is not available at the level of detail required.

TREASURY

Annuities: Telephone Services

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Retirement Annuity Helpline 0845 366 7868 became operative; how many calls have been received; and what proportion of calls were unanswered in each of the last six months.

Edward Balls: holding answer 2 March 2007
	The Retirement Annuities helpline opened on 27 March 2006 to coincide with the first issue of annuity letters sent to customers.
	With regards to the number of calls received and the proportion of calls unanswered, the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1304W, on the Child Trust Fund, what his estimate is of the number of children who were eligible to receive a voucher in each quarter since April 2005.

Edward Balls: All children born on or after 1 September 2002 are eligible to receive a Child Trust Fund voucher as long as they are in receipt of Child Benefit, they live in the UK and they are not subject to any immigration restrictions.
	All eligible children will automatically be issued with a Child Trust Fund voucher.
	The latest set of Child Trust Fund account opening statistics showing the number of vouchers issued was published by HM Revenue and Customs on 4 January 2007 at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1304W, on the Child Trust Fund, how many parents of children whose Child Trust Fund voucher expired by 31 December 2006 have not been written to.

Edward Balls: The vast majority of parents of children whose voucher expired by 31( )December 2006 have been written to with details of the Revenue Allocated Account opened for them. In cases where vouchers expired in late December parents will be notified by early March, unless the child is looked after and the local authority has deemed it inappropriate for HM Revenue and Customs to write to the parent of that child.

Debts: Zimbabwe

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Zimbabwe's repayment of debt to  (a) the International Monetary Fund and  (b) the World Bank.

Edward Balls: Zimbabwe has been in arrears to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank since February 2001 and October 2000 (respectively). Following a series of payments, Zimbabwe cleared its arrears to the IMF's General Reserve Account on 15 February 2006. However, it remains in arrears to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility—Exogenous Shocks Facility (PRGF-ESF) Trust at the IMF, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the Paris Club.
	As result, Zimbabwe is unable to access any new financing from these institutions and is also unable to vote in the IMF Board. The IMF has urged a comprehensive and sequenced programme of economic reform to tackle the economic crisis and address the desperate situation faced by the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. The UK fully supports that advice.

Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the amount of  (a) guarantee credit and  (b) savings credit that will be paid in each year from 2006 to 2052 for people aged (i) 60 to 64 years, (ii) 65 to 69 years, (iii) 70 to 74 years and (iv) 75 years and over.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	The answer is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Projected pension credit expenditure by age band, 2006-07 to 2050-51 
			  £ million 
			   Aged 60-64  Aged 65-69  Aged 70-74  Aged 75 years and over 
			   Guarantee credit  Guarantee credit  Savings credit  Guarantee credit  Savings credit  Guarantee credit  Savings credit 
			 2006 1,593 1,004 163 790 195 2,584 824 
			 2007 1,739 1,041 166 820 192 2,612 837 
			 2008 1,827 1,093 165 853 186 2,640 834 
			 2009 1,898 1,158 161 897 178 2,692 818 
			 2010 1,941 1,222 154 942 169 2,735 797 
			 2011 1,952 1,148 164 965 167 2,918 803 
			 2012 1,848 1,109 173 961 166 3,047 820 
			 2013 1,609 1,065 173 899 167 3,214 853 
			 2014 1,505 1,037 171 884 166 3,308 888 
			 2015 1,270 991 154 853 167 3,383 910 
			 2016 1,132 1,025 148 831 163 3,392 921 
			 2017 835 1,025 154 796 160 3,457 907 
			 2018 699 1,063 175 763 157 3,563 895 
			 2019 343 1,068 199 730 152 3,699 874 
			 2020 174 1,105 224 685 147 3,815 867 
			 2021 — 1,046 236 676 144 3,915 862 
			 2022 — 973 223 682 156 3,929 867 
			 2023 — 869 197 690 167 3,980 877 
			 2024 — 771 156 666 177 4,034 885 
			 2025 — 654 130 660 178 4,112 894 
			 2026 — 542 118 624 179 4,115 895 
			 2027 — 478 132 616 169 4,049 906 
			 2028 — 468 147 567 152 3,963 917 
			 2029 — 517 157 528 134 3,894 934 
			 2030 — 601 168 462 123 3,864 933 
			 2031 — 649 173 431 122 3,802 932 
			 2032 — 667 171 424 126 3,701 922 
			 2033 — 711 165 430 135 3,568 934 
			 2034 — 673 150 472 146 3,483 939 
			 2035 — 576 137 525 155 3,433 967 
			 2036 — 420 115 578 170 3,377 983 
			 2037 — 363 108 571 175 3,309 987 
			 2038 — 404 99 538 176 3,212 971 
			 2039 — 463 93 478 165 3,157 952 
			 2040 — 499 78 444 153 3,148 956 
			 2041 — 510 66 429 135 3,114 970 
			 2042 — 571 63 442 119 3,019 988 
			 2043 — 614 J38 459 104 2,907 1,006 
			 2044 — 520 66 525 98 2,859 1,007 
			 2045 — 396 61 581 96 2,900 1,001 
			 2046 — 320 49 592 95 2,911 974 
			 2047 — 348 46 539 95 2,887 950 
			 2048 — 338 47 509 92 2,832 917 
			 2049 — 354 50 488 89 2,761 880 
			 2050 — 345 52 484 85 2,699 846 
			  Notes: 1. Estimates are given in £ million, 2006-07 prices. 2. Figures refer to financial years. For example 2006 refers to 2006-07. Estimates for 2051-52 and 2052-53 are not available. 3. All expenditure projections apply to the whole of the United Kingdom. 4. Expenditure is projected under the reforms presented in the Pensions Bill Regulatory Impact Assessment.

Means-tested Benefits

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's estimate is of the cost of means-tested benefits based upon the retirement ages proposed in the Pension White Paper for each from 2006 to 2052 for those  (a) aged 65 to 69 years,  (b) aged 70 to 74 years and  (c) aged 75 years and over; and what his estimate is of the cost of administering these benefits in 2006.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	The cost of means-tested benefits for each year from 2006 to 2050 is set out in the following table. The level of administration subsidy paid by the Department for Work and Pensions to local authorities in 2006-07 is £555 million. The cost of administering pension credit claims in 2006 is not available. The cost of administering pension credit claims during the year to March 2005 has been estimated as £237 million. This figure is an approximate assessment only. The Pension Service continues to develop its unit cost information and a modern resource management system which will support improved costing analysis is being developed. The timescales of when this will be rolled out across the Department are not currently known.
	
		
			  Projected expenditure by age band for means-tested benefits, 2006-07 to 2050-51 
			  £ million 
			   Aged 65-69  Aged 70-74  Aged 75 years and over 
			 2006 2,245 2,191 6,846 
			 2007 2,333 2,263 6,994 
			 2008 2,429 2,332 7,120 
			 2009 2,529 2,405 7,240 
			 2010 2,608 2,457 7,294 
			 2011 2,587 2,551 7,611 
			 2012 2,573 2,588 7,803 
			 2013 2,542 2,564 8,038 
			 2014 2,522 2,580 8,196 
			 2015 2,468 2,580 8,315 
			 2016 2,503 2,581 8,351 
			 2017 2,514 2,565 8,413 
			 2018 2,576 2,549 8,512 
			 2019 2,605 2,529 8,627 
			 2020 2,667 2,490 8,724 
			 2021 2,670 2,498 8,961 
			 2022 2,630 2,531 9,106 
			 2023 2,540 2,562 9,276 
			 2024 2,435 2,554 9,431 
			 2025 2,102 2,552 9,596 
			 2026 1,770 2,516 9,661 
			 2027 1,730 2,494 9,651 
			 2028 1,743 2,420 9,606 
			 2029 1,811 2,349 9,569 
			 2030 1,912 2,256 9,540 
			 2031 1,978 2,296 9,671 
			 2032 2,002 2,356 9,731 
			 2033 2,053 2,426 9,759 
			 2034 2,002 2,527 9,807 
			 2035 1,673 2,630 9,899 
			 2036 1,266 2,734 9,951 
			 2037 1,204 2,761 9,963 
			 2038 1,263 2,754 9,914 
			 2039 1,349 2,703 9,895 
			 2040 1,391 2,675 9,929 
			 2041 1,461 2,726 10,411 
			 2042 1,588 2,799 10,797 
			 2043 1,681 2,867 11,127 
			 2044 1,589 2,984 11,464 
			 2045 1,193 3,085 11,844 
			 2046 814 3,136 12,138 
			 2047 836 3,117 12,369 
			 2048 838 3,109 12,524 
			 2049 858 3,105 12,625 
			 2050 809 3,110 12,708 
			  Notes:  1. Estimates are given in £ millions, 2006-07 prices. 2. Figures refer to financial years. For example 2006 refers to 2006-07. Estimates for 2051-52 and 2052-53 are not available.  3. All expenditure projections apply to the whole of the United Kingdom.  4. Expenditure is projected under the reforms presented in the Pensions Bill Regulatory Impact Assessment.  5. Expenditure on means-tested benefits included pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit.  6. Housing benefit costs reflect the total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding, and include benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, spending on rent rebates financed within local authorities' housing revenue accounts, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.

Takeovers

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which companies based in other European countries have received  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance from their respective Governments to mount bids for the takeover of UK-based companies.

Edward Balls: European Community law enshrines the right of free and open competition between member states, which has enabled the UK to take advantage of increasing global trade, and benefit from new ideas and management techniques. The European Commission monitors and is responsible for tackling measures and Government support that distort or threaten to distort European competition. The UK actively supports the Commission's work in eliminating inefficient state subsidies.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with counterparts in other European states on climate change.

John Prescott: Last week I met the director-general and senior officials at the World Health Organisation in Geneva to discuss the very serious effects that climate change is having on public health, and on the growth of the world's big cities.
	And through the UK China Task Force, I am discussing with the Chinese Government how we can share our knowledge and expertise to develop a policy for more sustainable cities both in the EU and Asia.
	In September, I attended the ASEM leaders' conference in Helsinki on behalf of the Prime Minister last September, and also a major European conference in Portugal, where I discussed progress on the post-Kyoto agenda and climate change.

Slavery

Diana Johnson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what events have been agreed to commemorate the 200(th) anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

John Prescott: The Government are supporting and facilitating events being staged by grassroots, community and faith groups across the country throughout 2007. They are also supporting museums, heritage organisations and local councils that are staging their own commemorative exhibitions and events.
	Government have not directed how local communities should commemorate the year; events planned locally are most appropriate and relevant to the communities in which they are staged.
	The hon. Member is aware of the commemorations being planned in the city of Hull, for which I hope she will be joining my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and myself.

China

John Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had on trade and investment with China in his capacity as chair of the China Task Force; and if he will make a statement.

John Prescott: I discuss trade and investment as a matter of course during my bilateral meetings with members of the Chinese leadership, including recent meetings with Premier Wen in September 2006 and State Councillor Tang in October.
	Senior members of the Chinese Government have made clear that the Task Force continues to enjoy a very high status in China. This has created a favourable context for the promotion of UK business and other interests.
	Task Force recommendations have resulted in the Joint Economic and Trade Commission being revamped, and the establishment of programmes in five key trade areas.
	These programmes are making excellent progress in the fields of:
	Information and Communications Technology;
	Water;
	Financial Services;
	Energy; and
	Health.
	Following a review last year, the Task Force is now focusing on sustainability issues, including climate change, and how our strong trade and investment links with the Chinese could promote the development of sustainable cities.

Post Office

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the minimum number of post offices necessary to fulfil the Government's new access criteria.

John Prescott: The House will be aware that the consultation period on the future of the post office network finishes tomorrow. I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues. I also chair the Cabinet Committee on the future of the post office network. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will take full account of the consultation responses and then present his proposals to the Committee, for collective agreement. The Government will then make clear their final proposals in due course.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Policy Advisors: Redundancy Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what estimate has been made of the total cost of severance pay for his political advisers when he resigns as Prime Minister;
	(2)  pursuant to section 14.E of the model contract for political advisers, if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant section of the staff handbook guide on severance pay for Downing street political advisers.

Tony Blair: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to her by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) today.

Peers: Location

Owen Paterson: To ask the Prime Minister what the place of residence at the time of elevation was of each peer created since 24 March 2005, broken down by  (a) nation within the UK and  (b) region of England for peers resident in England at the time of elevation.

Tony Blair: 75 people have been elevated to the peerage since 24 March 2005. The place of residence at the time of their elevation is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Residence at time of elevation  Number 
			 England 58 
			 North West 2 
			 North East 3 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 3 
			 East Midlands 2 
			 East of England 5 
			 West Midlands 2 
			 South East 7 
			 South West 8 
			 London 26 
			   
			 Scotland 9 
			   
			 Wales 2 
			   
			 Northern Ireland 4 
			   
			 Judicial (no addresses) 2

Petitions: Internet

Anne Milton: To ask the Prime Minister how many individuals have signed Downing street e-petitions since the system went live.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1668W to the hon. Members for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies), North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) and Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett).

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Beacon Councils: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many councils in the West Midlands area are rated as beacon councils.

Phil Woolas: In March 2006, we announced six beacons from the West Midlands that have been disseminating excellence and good practice in their theme to other local authorities across the region and nationally.
	
		
			  Authority  Theme 
			 Lichfield District Council Waste and Recycling 
			   
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council Culture and Sport for Hard to Reach Groups 
			   
			 Shropshire County Council (two themes) Improving Rural Services: Empowering Communities; and Early Intervention (Children at Risk) 
			   
			 Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Delivery of Quality Services through Procurement 
			   
			 Stoke-on-Trent City Council Transforming the Delivery of Services through Partnerships 
			   
			 Telford and Wrekin Borough Council (two themes) Early Intervention (Children at Risk); and Culture and Sport for Hard to Reach Groups

Housing: Armed Forces

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any young people over the age of 18 years are in residential care designed for those under 18 years.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not collected centrally. Residential care for those aged under 18 years is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.

Housing: Energy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1894W, on EU Directive 2002/91/EC, whether her Department holds a copy of a European  (a) Commission and  (b) Parliament Impact Assessment.

Ruth Kelly: A summary of the overall benefits expected to arise from member states' implementation of EU Directive 2002/91/EC was published by the European Commission in April 2003. We are not aware that the European Commission or European Parliament has published any further impact assessments.
	We have already published our own Regulatory Impact Assessment for implementing the technical parts of this directive in the April 2006 amendment of the building regulations and will be publishing an impact assessment for the remaining parts of the directive in due course.

Local Government: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to close the gap between the highest and lowest performing councils.

Phil Woolas: The responsibility for improving council performance rests primarily with local authorities themselves, with the wider local government sector playing an important role in providing support and challenge to drive better performance. Performance levels are continuing to improve, prompted by CPA and supported by the joint capacity building programme we have established with the LGA. The White Paper 'Strong and Prosperous Communities' set out our proposals for a new performance framework for local government, which will support continued improvement for all. In addition, we are working with local government to develop a national improvement strategy which will help to focus improvement and capacity building support where it is most needed.

Local Government: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of councils in  (a) London and  (b) other areas of the country which are improving (i) strongly and (ii) well.

Phil Woolas: Assessment of council performance is carried out by the Audit Commission. The Commission's report "CPA The Harder Test: Scores and analysis in single tier and county councils" was published on 22 February. The report includes comparisons by region of Comprehensive Performance Assessment direction of travel judgements.
	The report is available at:
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/cpa/stcc/stccscores.asp

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Departments: Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what strategy she has put in place for  (a) the use of renewable energy and  (b) meeting energy targets in her Department's buildings; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: My Department currently sources 13 per cent. of its electricity from renewable sources and this figure is set to rise as part of the strategy to move all sites on to the Office of Government Commerce by solutions (OGCbs) energy provision framework contract.
	The strategy to increase energy efficiency by 15 per cent. per m(2) by 2010 and 30 per cent. by 2020 relative to 1999-2000 levels includes energy surveys of buildings, introduction of low-cost and no-cost measures and training staff in good energy housekeeping measures. Work to re-baseline the Department's 1999-2000 levels is to be undertaken following the take-up of non-central Government sites in March 2005.

Elections: Personation

Damian Green: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people were convicted of impersonations at an election in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1750W.

Electoral Register: Convictions

Damian Green: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many people were convicted for being on the electoral register when not entitled to vote in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration 2006 created a new offence of providing an electoral registration officer with false or incorrect information. This provision came into force in September 2006 and to date, I know of no convictions under it.

Electoral Register: Databases

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effect of individual electoral registration on the ability of the CORE keeper to detect potential fraud.

Bridget Prentice: Under current policy proposals the CORE information system will be able to assist in the detection of potential instances of absent voter fraud which will be the responsibility of the respective ERO to investigate. It is not expected that a system of individual registration would strongly impact on the ability of the CORE keeper to detect potential fraud.

Lords Lieutenant

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  which Deputy Lords Lieutenant have been appointed since 1997;
	(2)  why the right hon. Member for Leicester, East was informed by her Department that responsibilities for the appointment of Lords Lieutenant has been passed to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Harriet Harman: The Department does not hold records of all Deputy Lords Lieutenant appointed since 1997. I will however, obtain a list of all Deputy Lords Lieutenant in post and write to the hon. Member with the information and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Prime Minister is responsible for advising the Queen on the appointment of Lords Lieutenant. This is a long-standing responsibility.

Magistrates Courts: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which magistrates courts in East Sussex  (a) closed and  (b) opened in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: Up until 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees who were not required by statute to inform the Department of any magistrates court closures unless they were subject to an appeal under Section 56 (3) of the Justices of the Peace Act 1997 (now repealed).
	There have been no magistrates court closures or openings that the Department has been notified of since 1997 in East Sussex.

Wills

David Kidney: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements her Department has in place for members of the public publicly to register the existence of a  (a) will and  (b) living will.

Harriet Harman: There are no arrangements in England and Wales for a public register of wills of living persons. There are facilities under section 126 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 for a person to lodge his or her will at the Principal Registry of the Family Division for safe keeping during his or her lifetime but these records are not available to the public. A will only becomes a public record after the person who made it has died and the court has made a grant of probate in respect of it.
	The Mental Capacity Act 2005 includes provision for the making of binding advance decisions. The Act applies to England and Wales only. There is no provision for the registration of advance decisions.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Welfare: Protest

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken following the recent incidents of attacks on peoples' homes by animal terrorists.

Vernon Coaker: The Government condemn campaigns of intimidation, harassment and violence against individuals and law-abiding businesses and have in place a cross-departmental strategy to put an end to the animal rights extremist threat and to protect those targeted by it.
	We have introduced tough new legislation, appointed a dedicated senior officer as national co-ordinator for domestic extremism and provided additional resources for the police to tackle the problem nationally. These steps have led to a reduction in unlawful activity and a number of successful prosecutions which have seen leading extremists receive lengthy custodial sentences.
	The Government remain committed to eradicating the threat of animal rights extremism.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost is of obtaining an antisocial behaviour order.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 6 March 2007
	A Home Office study carried out in 2004 revealed that the average cost of obtaining an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) was £2,500. This is a substantial reduction compared to an earlier review of costs published in 2002, which indicated an average cost of £4,000 to £5,000.
	Costs have fallen as a result of increased efficiency as practitioners become more familiar with ASBOs, and the introduction of orders on conviction which removes the need for separate hearings.
	The study found that, overall, police and local authorities using ASBOs find them cost effective. The cost to society of not taking action against persistent antisocial behaviour is much higher.

Community Service Volunteers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timescale for provision of the revised Memorandum of Understanding between the Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and the Prison Services is; and what steps he has taken to ensure improved communications between CSV, the Prison Service and the probation services.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A revised Memorandum of Understanding between the Prison Service, Offender Manager and Community Service Volunteers has now been completed and is due to be issued subject to public protection measures being agreed. Officials from NOMS (including prison and probation service) and CSV have met and set in place tighter and improved communication protocols within the Memorandum of Understanding.

Convictions: EC Nationals

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of the post-2000 EU accession states have been convicted of criminal offences in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform court proceedings database do not hold information on the nationality of the defendant.

Crime: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many gun-related crimes there were in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: Available data from 1996 up to and including 2005-06 are given in tables (a) and (b).
	Figures for 1996 and 1997 include those involving air weapons.
	
		
			  Table (a): Crimes recorded by the police in Lancashire( 1)  in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reported to have been used, 1996 to 2001-02 
			   Number 
			 1996(1) 89 
			 1997(1) 87 
			 1998-99(2) 50 
			 1999-2000 78 
			 2000-01(3) 59 
			 2001-02 103 
			 (1) Figures include offences involving the use of air weapons. (2) There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3) Numbers of some recorded crimes may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table (b): Crimes recorded by the police in Lancashire( 1)  in which firearms (excluding air weapons) were reported to have been used, 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   Number 
			 2002-03(1) 66 
			 2003-04 58 
			 2004-05(2) 259 
			 2005-06(2) 372 
			 (1) The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002. Because of this, figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. (2) Some of the increase may be due to the change in the force's recording practices. There was more than a three-fold increase in offences from 2003-04 to 2004-05. This increase is mainly due to offences involving imitation weapons. New, more explicit guidelines for the classification of weapons may have increased the recording of firearm offences in 2004-05, especially those committed with imitation weapons.

Crime: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the total cost of alcohol-influenced acts of vandalism in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: No information is held centrally on the cost of alcohol-influenced vandalism in Lancashire.

Crimes of Violence

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to tackle gang-related violence since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: At the Prime Minister's summit on guns and gangs on 22 February, a three-point plan was announced focusing on policing, powers and prevention. This work-plan includes a review of legislation relating to gangs, which will look at sentencing of juveniles, and gang membership as an aggravating factor in sentencing and other issues.
	We are working closely with ACPO on the related issues of gangs, guns and drugs supply.
	We are also working with the Metropolitan police on the development of an operational toolkit on gangs; developing a community-focused toolkit to provide advice to parents and young people; and working in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills on a toolkit on gangs aimed as schools.
	There are a number of wide-ranging national and local programmes that tackle gang-related issues:
	The Youth Inclusion Programme established in 2000 provides tailor-made programmes for 13 to 16-year-olds identified locally (by police, schools, social services etc.) as engaged in crime, or being at most risk of offending, truancy, or social exclusion. In first three years of programme, arrest rates for the 50 young people considered to be most at risk of crime had been reduced by 65 per cent.
	Safer Schools Partnerships were launched in 2002. With 370 police officers in selected schools in areas with high levels of street crime, the partnerships aim to reduce victimisation, and criminal and antisocial behaviour within the school and its community.
	The Positive Futures scheme provides lifestyle, educational and employment opportunities for young people living in deprived areas. Between 2003 and 2006 £15 million of funding from the Home Office and £3 million from Football Foundation, plus individual funding from local supporters, was provided. Since 2000 over 26,000 children have been involved.
	The Manchester Multi-Agency Gangs strategy is a partnership which helps young people exit gangs, working intensively with young people and their families.
	The West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Service provides conflict resolution and support services, which have defused tension and aim to help young people exit gangs.
	Other programmes such as the From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation focus on helping young men develop self-esteem. Boys are referred to the FBMF by local education authorities, special needs departments, youth-offending teams and social services departments. The FBMF helps them to get back on track through its day-programme of education and self-development.
	Other local programmes include the "Defending Da Hood" programme in Waltham Forest to engage with hard-to-reach young people in order to discuss issues which are relevant to them, and raise awareness of crime.
	We also support local initiatives through the Connected Fund, which was established in 2004. The sixth round was launched on 1 March and will accept applications from small community organisations working on gangs issues for grants up to £5,000. The closing date for bids is 12 April. We have also provided project funding via the Government offices for the regions and directly to projects such as the Urban Concepts "Don't Trigger" anti-gun crime campaign.
	Long-term prevention work includes parenting support to ensure that young people are given guidance in their developing years, volunteering programmes to help young people and provide alternative activities, and mentoring services to support young people.

Criminal Investigation

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library the transcripts of interviews held during the recently completed investigation into the cases leading to convictions of Martin Wynn Davies, William Charles Hughes and Neil Smith;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library the custody records and schedules of items seized in the recently completed investigations into the cases leading to the convictions of Martin Wynn Davies, William Charles Hughes and Neil Smith.

Vernon Coaker: Material or information gathered during a police investigation are not subject to disclosure other than to the person involved and his or her legal representative or in connection with court proceedings.

Criminal Records Bureau: Disclosure of Information

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the results of Criminal Records Bureau searches on individuals are not transferable between organisations with the individual's consent.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 1 March 2007
	Disclosures are primarily designed to be used by an employer at the point of recruitment for a particular position. Ultimately it is for each employer and not the CRB to decide whether a fresh disclosure should be applied for, bearing in mind their legal and other responsibilities and subject to any statutory requirements. There are a number of reasons why an employer may not wish to accept a disclosure that has been processed for a previous employment position, including:
	The disclosure may not be at the right level (there are two different levels of CRB check; standard and enhanced);
	The older a disclosure is the less reliable the information is, because the information it contains may not be up to date;
	Information revealed through a CRB check reflects the information that was available at the time of its issue—a person may have committed a crime in the intervening period;
	An organisation or employer may be required by law to carry out a fresh check against the Protection of Children Act list (PoCA) and/or the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Act list (POVA), thereby limiting the use of portability.

Domestic Violence

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is a waiting list for offenders sentenced by the courts with a condition of attendance at domestic abuse programmes.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since April 2006 every probation area in England and Wales has delivered an accredited Domestic Violence Programme and demand for them is high. Normally offenders are expected to start a domestic violence programme within four weeks of the start of the order. In some areas offenders are waiting longer than this. Every offender waiting to start a programme is under the supervision of an offender manager who is responsible for monitoring and managing the risk posed by the offender and instituting public protection measures if necessary. There is a national target of 1,200 for the number of offenders in the community who successfully complete a domestic violence programme. This target will be exceeded by the end of the financial year—by the end of December there had already been 1,199 completions.

Domestic Violence: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of domestic abuse there were in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office has only been collecting data on the number of reported domestic violence incidents by police force area since 2003-04. In Lancashire, the numbers are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 23,089 
			 2004-05 22,514 
			 2005-06 22,020

Electronic Tagging

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of the crimes which have been committed by offenders wearing electronic tags; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Crimes recorded by all offenders wearing electronic tags are not currently reported on. We do not have an estimate of the cost of crimes committed by offenders wearing tags. To provide an informed estimate would incur disproportionate cost.

European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government will  (a) sign and  (b) ratify the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

Vernon Coaker: On 22 January the Prime Minister announced the UK's intention to sign the Council of Europe convention on human trafficking. The UK is currently examining how we implement the convention and cannot give a specific date for signature. However, having signalled our intention to sign we are now committed to implementing the convention and putting in place a framework which will provide real protection and support to all victims of trafficking.
	Unlike the approach adopted by some of our Council of Europe colleagues the UK will not ratify the convention until all the changes to domestic legislation, processes and guidance are in place to ensure that we comply fully with its terms.

European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK will sign the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 6 March 2007
	On 22 January the Prime Minister announced the UK's intention to sign the Council of Europe convention on human trafficking. The UK is currently examining how we implement the convention and cannot give a specific date for signature. However, having signalled our intention to sign we are now committed to implementing the convention and putting in place a framework which will provide real protection and support to all victims of trafficking.
	Unlike the approach adopted by some of our Council of Europe colleagues the UK will not ratify the convention until all the changes to domestic legislation, processes and guidance are in place to ensure that we comply fully with its terms.

European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1946-7W, on human trafficking, if he will clarify on what date he expects to sign the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 5 March 2007
	On 22 January the Prime Minister announced the UK's intention to sign the Council of Europe convention on human trafficking. The UK is currently examining how we implement the convention and cannot give a specific date for signature. However, having signalled our intention to sign we are now committed to implementing the convention and putting in place a framework which will provide real protection and support to all victims of trafficking.
	Unlike the approach adopted by some of our Council of Europe colleagues the UK will not ratify the convention until all the changes to domestic legislation, processes and guidance are in place to ensure that we comply fully with its terms.

Firearms

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of illegal firearms in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: There is no reliable method of estimating of the number of illegal firearms in England and Wales. Any such figures would, by their very nature, be guess estimates, and therefore of little value.
	Following the Prime Minister's summit on 22 February, we announced a three-point plan to tackle gun crime and gangs, focusing on policing, powers and prevention. As part of the plan, the Home Secretary announced a review of the legislation on gangs, guns and knives, focussing in particular on gangs. The review will cover: sentencing policy generally, including in relation to juveniles; gun supply issues; gang membership as an aggravating factor; what new powers might be needed; and other relevant issues.
	ACPO are already leading work on issues around the international market in firearms and supply, building up a national intelligence picture of the scale and nature of the problem around guns and gangs and working with individual forces to tackle problems proactively and robustly.

Firearms

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the firearms collected in the amnesty of 2003 were  (a) registered,  (b) stored and  (c) disposed of by police authorities in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 26 February 2007
	The Home Office provided guidance to police forces and authorities on the receipt and disposal of firearms and ammunition handed in during the amnesty in 2003. The guidance advised forces that all firearms and ammunition should be destroyed in accordance with force policy, other than those items considered to be of exceptional historic or forensic significance (as advised by the Forensic Science Service (FSS)), or items believed to have been used in crime and, after examination by the FSS, retained as part of an on-going investigation.
	The Gun Crime Investigative Guidance manual of good practice jointly published by the ACPO Criminal Use of Firearms Group and the Home Office also provides detailed guidance around the recovery of firearms. Disposal, however, is dealt with by individual force policy and procedures, dependent on the circumstances of each case and whether or not criminal proceedings are involved.

Firearms

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to reduce the number of guns  (a) in general circulation and  (b) being sold in England; and what steps he is taking to prevent those who have been convicted of crimes from purchasing guns on their release.

Vernon Coaker: The Association of Chief Police Officers, in conjunction with the Serious Organised Crime Agency and HM Revenue and Customs, are working together to tackle the illicit supply of firearms, both within England and Wales and internationally. The Government are not seeking to restrict further the legitimate ownership and use of firearms, which is already tightly controlled.
	Under section 21 of the Firearms Act 1968, a person sentenced to three or more years' imprisonment is prohibited from ever possessing a firearm, and a person sentenced to between three months' and three years' imprisonment must not possess a firearm for five years following their release. The maximum sentence for these specific offences is five years' imprisonment. If a person is also convicted of unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm, they may be sentenced to a minimum five years' (and a maximum of 10 years') imprisonment.

Firearms: Crime

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to tackle gun-related crime.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 February 2007
	As announced at the Prime Minister's Summit on guns and gangs on 22 February, we are tackling gun crime with a three-point plan, focusing on:
	Policing—ensuring the police are equipped to tackle gun crime;
	Powers—giving the police and courts the powers to deal with offenders; and
	Prevention—empowering communities to take action themselves to prevent gun crime and gang culture and offering support to parents to challenge their children's behaviour.
	This comprehensive approach draws together the broad range of work currently under way including tough new gun laws, intelligence-driven policing initiatives and community-led projects and will be taken forward by the Home Office Round Table on Guns, Gangs and Knives which is chaired by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.
	In April we will introduce a new offence of 'using someone to mind a weapon', meaning that people who pass weapons to girlfriends, younger siblings or other gang members will still face prosecution. People should not think they can get away with passing off their gun to someone else. Unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm means five years in jail, and this will now also apply to people who use others to look after their weapons for them. This measure was passed in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 and will become an offence this spring.
	ACPO are already leading work on issues around the international market in firearms and supply, building up a national intelligence picture of the scale and nature of the problem around guns and gangs and working with individual forces to tackle problems proactively and robustly.

Firearms: Crime

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 105W, on firearms crime, if he will publish the minutes of the meeting held on 7 February.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 February 2007
	The minutes of the round table meeting held on 7 February will be published on the Connected website www. connected.gov.uk once attendees have confirmed that they are accurate.

Grendon Prison

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost per prisoner place at HM Prison Grendon; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average annual cost per prisoner place at HMP Grendon and Springhill was £27,591 in 2005-06.
	This figure excludes the element of headquarters overheads. It also excludes costs of capital and depreciation on land and buildings, which are held by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what restrictions he plans to impose on the purchase of identity card readers by  (a) public and  (b) private sector organisations.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office will not place any restrictions on the purchase of card readers as such restrictions would not be of any consequence to the effective management of identity checking services provided by the National Identity Scheme.
	The ability of any card reader to verify information against the National Identity Register is dependent on the controls in place that regulate whether or not that reader is permitted to carry out that function. Only organisations accredited by the Identity and Passport Service will be provided with the necessary digital certificates to enable their readers to verify identity against information held on the National Identity Register. Such digital certificates allow for revocation of such services should the reader be stolen or the service misused.

Money Laundering

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will transpose into UK law the requirements of the third money laundering directive on  (a) protecting people making suspicious activity reports from reprisals,  (b) publishing information on the effectiveness of the reporting regime annually and  (c) encouraging and enabling compliance by publishing information on trends in the criminal activities targeted by the directive.

Vernon Coaker: The Government are fully committed to fulfilling the requirements of the 3rd European Union money laundering directive. Part 7 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is compliant with the directive. In respect of the three issues identified, it will not be necessary for the Government to bring forward new legislation to achieve compliance. These obligations will be fulfilled by other means.
	The Government recognise the importance of protecting the identity of those making suspicious activity reports (SARs) to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), and have taken firm action to address this matter. After consultation with the private sector we issued detailed guidance to the police, other law enforcement agencies, and prosecution agencies on the importance of confidentiality in the handling of SARs. Adherence to this guidance is a condition of access to the SARs database maintained by the Serious Organised Crime Agency. This issue was also addressed in Sir Stephen Lander's review of the SARs regime which was published in April 2006. SOCA has subsequently set up a dedicated telephone line to enable any breaches of the guidelines to be reported. We will keep the guidance under review.
	SOCA has governance of the SARs regime and will be reporting to Ministers on its effectiveness through an annual report in October 2007. An unclassified version will be published on the SOCA website thereafter. This will include information on breaches of confidentiality.
	SOCA regularly shares information on trends and specific threats in money laundering activities with the reporting institutions, the regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies. In addition, SOCA has established the following mechanisms to facilitate effective governance and dialogue about the SARs regime:
	a sub-committee of SOCA's board to oversee the regime's governance. Membership is comprised of representatives from the reporting sector, regulators, SOCA and end users;
	a vetted group, comprising representatives of the reporting sectors, of law enforcement and of the key policy departments, to discuss sensitive casework and reporting issues, and to clear the distribution of SOCA alerts and guidance;
	Sector specific seminars, aimed at providing directed feedback to individual sectors;
	a regulators' forum, to provide regulators with information about reporting within their sectors; and
	an alerts branch to issue warnings and advice to encourage businesses, the public and others to take appropriate action against serious organised crime.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Neighbourhood Watch schemes are in operation in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not collect information on the number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes in England and Wales. However, Sussex police does gather this information and has advised me that in Eastbourne there are 230 Neighbourhood Watch schemes covering about 11,000 households and in East Sussex there are 3,037 schemes covering 25,258 households.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 120W, on Oakhill secure training centre, how many of the 80 places available are occupied; and how many were occupied on the last day of each month since January 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 23 February 2007
	On 26 February, the latest date for which figures are available, 71 places were occupied. The other information requested is set out in the following table. The last column indicates how many places were available for occupation under the terms of the contract.
	
		
			  Available places and places occupied at Oakhill secure training centre January 2005-January 2007( 1) 
			  Month  Number of trainees  Places declared available 
			  2005   
			 January 50 60 
			 February 51 60 
			 March 55 60 
			 April 55 65 
			 May 54 69 
			 June 65 80 
			 July 64 80 
			 August 64 80 
			 September 63 80 
			 October 67 80 
			 November 62 80 
			 December 56 80 
			
			  2006   
			 January 55 80 
			 February 55 80 
			 March 59 80 
			 April 67 80 
			 May 73 80 
			 June 79 80 
			 July 71 80 
			 August 80 80 
			 September 77 80 
			 October 71 80 
			 November 74 80 
			 December 55 72 
			
			  2007   
			 January 71 80 
			 (1) Figures indicate places occupied and places available on last day of month.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 120W, on Oakhill secure training centre, how many hours on average young offenders spent out of their rooms in a 24-hour period in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 23 February 2007
	During January 2007, trainees spent an average of 13 hours and 40 minutes out of their rooms.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 120W, on Oakhill secure training centre, what the annual sickness rate amongst staff was in the last period for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 23 February 2007
	During 2006, the annual rate of sickness leave for operational staff was 9.6 per cent. and for non-operational staff, 7.0 per cent. These figures have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and relate to employees of the contractor, G4S Justice Services. They do not include those employed by sub-contractors, for example providing health care or education services.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 120W, on Oakhill secure training centre, how many staff were in post in the last day of each month since January 2005; and what the proposed establishment level was on each date.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 23 February 2007
	The staff-in-post figures are set out in the following table. They have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and relate to employees of the contractor, G4S Justice Services. They do not include those employed by sub-contractors, for example providing health care or education services. Establishment figures are commercially sensitive and cannot, therefore, be disclosed.
	
		
			  Staff in post Oakhill secure training centre 
			  Month and year  Staff in post 
			  2005  
			 January 215 
			 February 219 
			 March 228 
			 April 218 
			 May 226 
			 June 225 
			 July 226 
			 August 221 
			 September 236 
			 October 223 
			 November 227 
			 December 208 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 215 
			 February 219 
			 March 228 
			 April 218 
			 May 226 
			 June 225 
			 July 226 
			 August 221 
			 September 218 
			 October 222 
			 November 205 
			 December 195 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 211

Passports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  where he plans to situate his new passport application offices; and what the population is within 20 miles of each;
	(2)  how far away, in miles, from Grimsby the nearest passport application office will be following the planned opening of new offices.

Joan Ryan: The proposed locations for the 69 interview offices are included in the following list.
	The passport interview network will provide an office within 15 minutes travelling time for just over half of the population of the UK and over 95 per cent. of the population will live within one hour's travelling of an office.
	A small number of potential applicants, estimated to be less than 0.7 per cent. of first-time passport applicants (4,000 out of 600,000 per annum), live more than an hour's journey from an interview office. For this group we are putting in place secure video-conferencing links with the customer visiting a partner organisation, for example, local council premises. We currently plan to have remote interview facilities in 25 locations; however we are still consulting with regional stakeholders and are considering additional locations.
	We have placed a document in the Library of the House of Commons setting out the planned network.
	To provide an analysis of the population within a 20-mile radius of each of the 69 interview offices would incur a disproportionate cost. The interview office closest to Grimsby will be in Kingston-upon-Hull, a distance of approximately 33 miles.
	 Proposed locations for the 69 passport interview offices
	Aberdeen
	Dundee
	Edinburgh
	Glasgow
	Inverness
	Kilmarnock
	Oban
	Stirling
	Wick
	Berwick-upon-Tweed
	Carlisle
	Dumfries
	Galashiels
	Kendal
	Middlesbrough
	Newcastle
	Northallerton
	Armagh
	Belfast
	Coleraine
	Omagh
	Blackburn
	Liverpool
	Manchester
	Wrexham
	Hull
	Leeds
	Scarborough
	Sheffield
	York
	Aberystwyth
	Bristol
	Cheltenham
	Newport
	Swansea
	Swindon
	Birmingham
	Derby
	Leicester
	Northampton
	Shrewsbury
	Stoke-on-Trent
	Warwick
	Boston
	Bury St. Edmunds
	Ipswich
	Kings Lynn
	Lincoln
	Norwich
	Peterborough
	Barnstaple
	Camborne
	Exeter
	Plymouth
	St Austell
	Yeovil
	Andover
	Bournemouth
	Newport IOW
	Oxford
	Portsmouth
	Reading
	Chelmsford
	Crawley
	Dover
	Hastings
	London
	Luton
	Maidstone

Police Custody: Death

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on a public inquiry into the death of Paul Day in custody; whether he has plans for further study of the issues arising from the death; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I reiterate my condolences to Mr. and Mrs. Day, whom I met at the culmination of a process which included a series of internal investigations overseen by a panel on which sat the chief inspector of prisons and Mr. and Mrs. Day, an extensive coroner's inquest, and a series of follow-up discussions between Mr. and Mrs. Day and the then deputy director general of the Prison Service.
	Learning from Paul Day's death has contributed to significant change in prison segregation units. I have no plans to commission further studies.

Pornography

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further measures the Government plan to take to protect children and young people from pornographic material made available through file-sharing programmes.

Vernon Coaker: All published material is subject to the Obscene Publications Act 1959 (OPA). Under this Act, it is a criminal offence to publish any article which is considered to be obscene; that is, an article, which, in the view of the court, tends to 'deprave and corrupt' a person who is likely to see, hear or read it. This is a flexible test which has been shown to apply to material at a lower threshold where children are likely to access it. The OPA applies equally to material published over the internet, including material made available through file-sharing programmes.
	The Government, through the Home Secretary's Task Force for Child Protection on the Internet, are also promoting the development of a BSI kitemark for computer safety software which will help parents and carers choose the most effective technical means of protecting children from unsuitable internet-based content and services, including those which prevent the use of file-sharing software. There is also to be new Safety Software Sub-Group of the Taskforce to encourage internet and software services to seek accreditation, encourage take-up of the software by parents, and to ensure a process for review and updating the standard if it proves effective.

Prison Service: Public Appointments

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the recent appointments to the deputy governor posts at  (a) HM Prison Whitemoor and  (b) HM Prison Pentonville; whether the appointments were considered alongside the investigation conducted by Mr. Ron Tasker into performance standards issues at HM Prison Wandsworth; who was responsible for authorising the managed moves; whether the appointments were made following open competitions; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The process of new deputy governors being appointed to both prisons was managed, and was not as a result of open competition. Managed moves are used where it is in the business interests of the service to do so, including ensuring effective succession arrangements, and are fully in line with service policy. In these cases, the moves were approved by the relevant operational director. The appointments are unrelated to Mr. Tasker's investigation.

Prison Service: Public Appointments

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors he took into account in appointing the former London Area Manager to a new role within HM Prison Service; from which Department's budget within the organisation his role is financed; whether this appointment was advertised in accordance with HM Prison Service's policies and procedures and awarded as a consequence of open competition; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Mr. Keith Munns, who has retired, has been retained by the Deputy Director General of the Prison Service to support the completion of a report originally commissioned by Mr. Munns. Mr. Munns is currently working on a fee-paid, sessional basis, where no competition is required, and costs are met from the Deputy Director General's budget. Given his experience, it is likely that Mr. Munns will be asked to undertake other, specific work on the same basis.

Prisoners: Compensation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners paid compensation to the victims of their crimes while in prison in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No such information is recorded.

Prisons: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the information technology budget was for HM Prison Service in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The costs in the following table were made for the core and legacy information technology infrastructure for HMPS:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ million)  Basis 
			 2002-03 40.38 Actual 
			 2003-04 47.23 Actual 
			 2004-05 27.61 Actual 
			 2005-06 33.90 Actual 
			 2006-07 45.03 Forecast

Prisons: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio is of computer terminals to  (a) uniformed staff and  (b) all prison staff; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: At 31 January 2007 there were 33,395 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in officer and operational support grades. These are staff who would normally be expected to wear a uniform. The total FTE staff in post on this date was 47,878.
	The number of computer terminals on the core and legacy IT infrastructure at 31 January 2007 was 24,559 which included 20,532 located in HMPS establishments.
	The ratio of computer terminals to total staff is 1:1.95.
	It is not possible to analyse this ratio further as records are not kept of access to IT services by staff grade.
	Staff in post figures have been derived from the Personnel Corporate Database and Oracle HRMS. These systems are subject to the normal inaccuracies associated with any large-scale reporting system.

Prisons: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of each computer terminal used in HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The average annual cost of each computer terminal on the Prison Service core and legacy network over the life of the contract is £1,595 per annum. An independent assessment conducted in 2002 found that the cost of Quantum Infrastructure Services compared favourably to similar contracts.

Prisons: Locks and Keys

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of keys having gone missing were recorded in prisons in England and Wales in 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is not held in the form requested. Any incidents involving keys or locks, as reported from individual establishments, are recorded as one consolidated figure and this figure will include broken keys, damaged or sabotaged locks, incidents where prisoners or other unauthorised personnel may have had sight of or access to keys and incidents where staff had taken keys out of the establishment. To separate out those incidents where keys were missing or unaccounted for, for whatever reason, would involve disproportionate cost.

Probation: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected outturn against planned expenditure is of  (a) the National Probation budget for 2006-07 and  (b) the budget of each probation area for 2006-07.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The information you requested for the National Probation Service, which includes the 42 National Probation Boards, budgets held centrally on behalf of Boards e.g. Drug Testing and Treatment Orders and the central costs for the National Probation Directorate (NPD) is:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Resource budget 882.6 
			 Forecast outturn 880.0 
			 Capital budget 7.2 
			 Forecast outturn 6.0 
		
	
	 (b) The following table shows the most recent 2006-07 budget and forecast outturn information for the 42 National Probation Boards, including resource and capital. Outturn costs are made up of actual expenditure to mid-February and a forecast to the end of the year. Due to various factors in the way that budgets are allocated there will be further additional budgetary allocations and reductions made to boards before the end of the financial year. These figures are therefore subject to revision.
	
		
			  Probation boards forecast outturn 2006-07 
			  £000 
			  Boards  2006-07 budget (February data)  2006-07 forecast outturn  Variance 
			 Avon and Somerset 19,819 19,625 -194 
			 Bedfordshire 8,471 8.604 133 
			 Cambridgeshire 9,311 9,440, 129 
			 Cheshire 15.739 15,367 -372 
			 Cumbria 7,952 8,073 121 
			 Derbyshire 12,997, 12,847 -150 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19,710 19,338 -372 
			 Dorset 8,237 8,469 232 
			 Durham 10,284 10,294 10 
			 Essex 19,010 18.238 -772 
			 Gloucestershire 6,948 6,988 40 
			 Hampshire 23,122, 23,138 16 
			 Hertfordshire 10,609 10,346 -263 
			 Humberside 16,194 15,946 -248 
			 Kent 20,414 20.264 -150 
			 Lancashire 21,508 21,085 -423 
			 Leicestershire 13,855 13,572 -283 
			 Lincolnshire 8,938 l9,061 123 
			 Norfolk 10,631 10,568 -63 
			 Northamptonshire 8,843 8,679 -164 
			 North Yorkshire 9,512 9,322 -190 
			 Nottinghamshire 18,223 18,868 645 
			 Staffordshire 15,777 16,140 363 
			 Suffolk 9,467 9,300 -167 
			 Surrey 10,081 9,647 -434 
			 Sussex 17,068 16,943 -125 
			 Teesside 13,071 13,0411 -30 
			 Thames Valley 24,362 24,262 -100 
			 Warwickshire 6,765 6,857 92 
			 West Mercia 13,642 13,476 -166 
			 Wiltshire 7,615 7,855 240 
			 Greater Manchester 47,062 47,565 503 
			 Merseyside 28,595 28,812 217 
			 Northumbria 27,050 27,234 184 
			 South Yorkshire 24,138 24,238 100 
			 West Midlands 53,542 53,792 250 
			 West Yorkshire 38,297 38,297 0 
			 London 137,651 140,352 2,701 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,088 8,088 0 
			 Gwent 10,946 10,741 -205 
			 North Wales 11,751 11,517 -234 
			 South Wales 24,465 24,063 -402 
			 Total 829,759 830,352 593

Religious Hatred

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legal safeguards are in place to prevent  (a) the preaching of hatred and  (b) incitement to commit criminal acts in religious communities.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 8 February 2007
	Under part III of the Public Order Act 1986 it is a criminal offence to use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent or likelihood to stir up racial hatred. This offence covers inflammatory comments made in public or in the media as well as the distribution of printed material.
	Parliament has also passed the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, though it is not yet in force. This legislation was intended to close the loophole whereby racial groups (which the courts have deemed to include Jews and Sikhs) are afforded protection against incited hatred while religious groups (Christians and Muslims for example) are not. The Act contains specific protection for freedom of speech. The Government are working towards identifying a date for implementation of the Act in the next few months.
	Nine racially-aggravated offences were introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which include assaults, criminal damage and harassment, which make available to the courts higher maximum penalties where there is evidence of racist motivation or racial hostility in connection with offence. The Government extended these offences in the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 by creating new religiously-aggravated offences.
	For other offences, there is a requirement for courts to take account of racial or religious motivation in sentencing (Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000).
	Incitement is an anticipatory common law offence so that incitement to commit violent or other criminal offences is itself an offence in religious or any other communities.

Sexual Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police have powers to enter the premises of a person on the sex offenders register; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Section 58 of the Violent Crime Act 2006, which received Royal Assent in November 2006, provides for a police power to enter and search a registered sex offender's home for the purposes of assessing the risk they pose to our communities. This section will be commenced later this spring. Guidance will be provided to practitioners in a Home Office circular.

Sexual Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-offending rate was of sex offenders who  (a) attended and  (b) did not attend the sexual offender treatment programme in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: An analysis of the data on overall reconviction rates for sex offenders who attended and did not attend the sexual offender treatment programme is not available.
	Evaluations of the sex offender treatment programme provide evidence of a small but positive impact of the programme on future offending. For example, research found a statistically significant reduction in combined sexual and violent reconviction for HMPS SOTP participants compared to matched non-participants (although not for sexual reconviction) (Friendship, Mann & Beech, 2003). The National Offender Management Service is developing an evaluation strategy for the sex offender treatment programme.

Sexual Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department produces on the circumstances in which a sex offender on licence should be recalled.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The circumstances in which recall action should be initiated on any offender on licence are laid out in National Standards 2005. These set out minimum standards to be followed in the event of any failure to comply with a requirement of a sentence. There is no specific guidance on recall of sex offenders. Probation officers are trained to assess the level of risk in each case, including sex offenders, and act in order to protect the public.
	Probation Circular 16/2005 provides additional guidance to offender managers on the procedures that they must follow when recommending to the Release and Recall Section (RRS) that an offender be recalled. RRS acts on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Circular includes specific instructions for emergency requests, where the offender presents a high, or increasing, risk of serious harm and is subject to Multi- Agency Public Protection Arrangements. In such cases, the offender's licence is revoked within two hours of notification.

Speed Limits: Eastbourne

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue was received from fines related to speed cameras in Eastbourne in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Information on revenue from speed camera convictions is not collected centrally.
	The information collected by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform identifies the number of fixed penalties ordered to be paid and the number and amounts of court fines issued for such offences within each police force area. Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.

Theft: Vehicle Number Plates

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in tackling theft of vehicle number plates.

Vernon Coaker: Latest published figures from the 2004-05 British Crime Survey show that number plates were stolen in 1.9 per cent. of all thefts from vehicles, and in 5 per cent. of thefts where vehicle external fittings were stolen.
	Although the proportion of number plate thefts is low, we understand from anecdotal evidence that it is an emerging problem. In order to help address it, following consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency published in February 2006 a voluntary standard for vehicle registration plates which were resistant to theft. These plates are more difficult to detach from vehicles and cannot be fitted to other vehicles once detached. Products meeting the standard are currently available from about 300 retail outlets.

Wandsworth Prison: Dismissal

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been dismissed at HM Prison Wandsworth in each of the last 12 months; what the grounds were for each dismissal; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information is set out in the table and is that held by the establishment. The figures refer to the month of the governor's initial decision to dismiss from the service.
	It would not be appropriate to list the reasons for dismissal by month as this would enable individuals to be identified, but of the 15 individuals listed in the table nine were dismissed for medical inefficiency, four for conduct and discipline reasons, and two for a failed probationary period. Some of these dismissals are still in the appeal process.
	
		
			  Staff dismissed from Wandsworth prison in each of the last 12 months 
			  Month  Number of staff 
			  2006  
			 March 0 
			 April 2 
			 May 1 
			 June 0 
			 July 0 
			 August 1 
			 September 2 
			 October 1 
			 November 4 
			 December 1 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 0 
			 February 3

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Data Sharing

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on plans to increase data sharing across Government.

Patrick McFadden: My colleagues in the Department of Constitutional Affairs set out the Government's position on data sharing last September. Of course this must be done in a responsible manner but we believe there can be significant advantages for the public if different Departments co-operate to ensure services are personalised and built around individual needs rather than forcing people to give the same information, over and over again, to different Departments and agencies.

Fuel and Water Prices

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment she has made of the impact of recent trends in fuel and water prices on socially excluded groups.

Patrick McFadden: The Government have put in place a number of measures to help socially excluded groups with fuel and water costs. These include spending some £800 million on Warm Front between 2005 and 2008, and almost £2 billion on winter fuel payments last winter. We have also removed the threat of water disconnection for all households.
	In addition to these measures, we welcome the recent falls in energy prices for domestic customers.

Social Exclusion Frameworks

Meg Hillier: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she is taking to involve voluntary sector groups in building future social exclusion policy frameworks.

Hilary Armstrong: The third sector plays a key role in providing advice and support services to socially excluded groups. As part of the Cabinet Office's responsibility for the Social Exclusion Task Force and Office of the Third Sector, Ministers and officials from my Department regularly meet with stakeholders and members of voluntary organisations and groups.

Charities: Statutory Funding

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether she has met the chief charity commissioner to discuss her recent report on the effect of statutory funding on charities; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: I met the Chair of the Charity Commission, Dame Suzi Leather today, and discussed a range of issues with her.

Data Sharing

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on plans to increase data sharing across Government.

Patrick McFadden: My colleagues in the Department of Constitutional Affairs set out the Government's position on data sharing last September. Of course this must be done in a responsible manner but we believe there can be significant advantages for the public if different Departments co-operate to ensure services are personalised and built around individual needs rather than forcing people to give the same information, over and over again, to different Departments and agencies.

Social Exclusion: Health Interventions

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of health interventions on social exclusion.

Hilary Armstrong: The Government believe that health interventions can be highly effective in tackling social exclusion. As set out in the Social Exclusion Action Plan, we will launch two sets of pilots that will test different health interventions. These are the ten Nurse Family Partnership pilots based on the US model which has seen incredible results; and up to four Multi-systemic Therapy pilots which are well evidence-based in the US, which will help tackle mental health problems in childhood.

Social Exclusion: Education and Employment

James McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment she has made of the correlation between educational qualifications and employment in developing proposals to tackle social exclusion.

Patrick McFadden: Getting a job has an obvious and positive effect on life-chances and is an important means of tackling social exclusion. We also know that getting good educational qualifications is the best way of securing a job.
	The Government have prioritised engagement with people who are not in education, employment or training because the correlation between good educational qualifications, employment and tackling social exclusion is such a strong one.

Gift Aid

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment the Charity Commission has made of the effect of the extension of Gift Aid tax relief on levels of charitable giving.

Edward Miliband: The Charity Commission has not made any assessment of this kind as it is the responsibility of the HMRC to assess the effect of Gift Aid tax relief. HMRC has published research on levels of charitable giving, "Individuals' Donations to Charities and their Use of Tax Relief."
	A copy of the research reports can be found on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/rep9-main.pdf. Copies will be made available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Ministerial Policy Advisors: Redundancy Pay

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what rules govern the payment of severance pay to political advisers who leave the civil service;
	(2)  how much severance pay was paid to political advisers who left the civil service in each year between 1997 and 2006;
	(3)  how the amount of severance pay paid to political advisers who leave the civil service is calculated; and what sums are involved.

Hilary Armstrong: The rules on severance pay, including how amounts are calculated, are set out in Section 14 of the "Model Contract for Special Advisers", copies of which are available in the Library. Since 2002, the Government have published on an annual basis the cost of special advisers. This includes the cost of severance payments. Copies of the statements are available in the Library for the reference of Members. Information for previous years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Smith Institute

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether her Department has held discussions with the Smith Institute concerning the recently announced Charity Commission inquiry.

Edward Miliband: No.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption: Catholic Church

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the statement of 21 February 2007,  Official Report, column 131WH, in which the Minister referred to negotiations taking place between the Scottish Executive and Westminster, what discussions he has had on the question of exemption from the Sexual Orientation Regulations for Catholic voluntary adoption agencies in  (a) Scotland and  (b) England and Wales.

Parmjit Dhanda: Departmental officials have attended a number of meetings at which this issue was discussed. In addition, I spoke at the meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Adoption and Fostering on 1 November 2006, and at the Westminster Hall debate on "The Future of the Voluntary Adoption Sector" on 21 February 2007, where the issue of the Sexual Orientation Regulations was raised.
	The Prime Minister announced on 29 January 2007 that there can be no exemption for faith-based adoption agencies from the Sexual Orientation Regulations. However, he made clear that, in the interests of children, there will be a transition period for existing adoption agencies until the end of 2008. The Prime Minister also announced that during this period there will be a statutory duty for these agencies to refer on to other agencies those whom, because of their sexual orientation, they are unwilling to assess as prospective adopters.
	The Scottish Executive and Westminster continue to be in touch with one another about how the transition period will work in practice in Scotland. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible for taking forward the regulations underpinning the Equality Act 2006.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to improve front-line services provided by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service;
	(2)  if he will publish the business case for the recommendations contained in the report "Organising for Quality" produced by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service;
	(3)  what he expects the effect of the recommendations contained in "Organising for Quality" to be upon the budget of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the next two financial years;
	(4)  if he will increase the staff capacity in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for services in  (a) public and  (b) private law;
	(5)  on what evidential basis he expects the recommendations contained in the report of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service "Organising for Quality" to improve services for children and families.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 2 March 2007:
	I am writing to you in response to the five parliamentary questions that you tabled recently:
	PQ 123378—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve front-line services provided by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
	CAFCASS is currently consulting on a major strategy for the next 3 years, set out in its recent consultation paper "Organising for Quality". A final consultation on new National Standards for CAFCASS is part of that consultation. Practice development is the strongest single theme of the proposed changes, and the implementation plan formulated after the consultation ends will be a published document, available at the end of March 2007.
	PQ 123385—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will publish the business case for the recommendations contained in the report, Organising for Quality, produced by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
	CAFCASS will ensure that all proposals from its consultation paper, "Organising for Quality", which it decides to take forward, can be funded from within its annual grant. CAFCASS publishes its accounts at the end of each financial year and year on year changes can be seen.
	PQ 123389—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what he expects the effect of the recommendations contained in Organising for Quality to be upon the budget of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the two financial years.
	"Organising for Quality" makes several recommendations about how CAFCASS's services can be improved within its annual budget allocation. These proposals are currently out to consultation. Priorities for each year will be set once the annual budget is know. Overarching priorities for the next three years will be set out in CAFCASS's new business plan, which will be a plan for 2007-10.
	PQ 123398—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will increase the staff capacity in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for services in (a) public and (b) private law.
	CAFCASS continue to make every effort to ensure that the greatest possible percentage of its annual budget is spent on front-line practitioners and administrators. Expenditure on employed staff in these categories has increased slightly over the last five years.
	PQ 123415—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what evidential basis he expects the recommendations contained in the report of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, Organising for Quality, to improve services for children and families.
	CAFCASS will publish its proposals for future years by the end of March 2007, taking into account a range of factors, including evidence from its current programmes, from close analysis of its management information, including service trends, and having considered all the responses to its current consultation paper, "Organising for Quality".
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the House Library.

Class Sizes and Co-education

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research his Department is undertaking into  (a) class sizes and  (b) co-education.

Jim Knight: The Department has commissioned and published research to assess the effect of class size on educational attainment and classroom processes ("Pupil adult ratio differences and educational progress over reception and key stage 1". DfES Research Series RR335; "The effects of class size on attainment and classroom processes in English Primary Schools (Years 4 to 6) 2000-03". DfES Research Series RR605).
	While the Department has not commissioned research that directly relates to co-education issues, it has investigated interventions, including teaching in single-sex classes, aimed at "Raising Boy's Achievement" (DfES Research Series RR636).
	No current research on either topic is underway.

Degrees

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of people of working age in  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) England hold a qualification (i) at degree level, (ii) at degree level equivalent and (iii) above degree level.

Bill Rammell: Table 1 shows the percentage of people of working age in Eastbourne, East Sussex and England who hold a first degree, another HE level qualification and a postgraduate level qualification, from the 2005/06 Annual Population Survey.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Percentage 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex  England 
			 First degree 5 10 12 
			 Other higher education level qualification 12 12 9 
			 Postgraduate and equivalent 6 7 6

Departmental IT

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that new large-scale computer systems  (a) meet performance targets and  (b) do not exceed the budgets allocated to them.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) adopts a number of measures to ensure that its new large-scale computer systems meet performance targets and do not exceed allocated budgets.
	Routinely, DfES projects that are enabled by information and communications technology (ICT) adopt the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) PRINCE2 project management methodology. PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments Version 2) is an ICT-enabled project management standard used extensively by UK Government Departments and widely recognised and used in other sectors. It provides a flexible and adaptable project management framework that aims to ensure that system delivery risks are identified and managed appropriately, and that objectives and benefits are achieved within budget, within time and to the required quality and performance standards.
	Furthermore, within DfES, ICT projects are routinely subjected to OGC Gateway™ Reviews. The Gateway process examines a project at critical stages in its lifecycle to provide assurance that it can progress successfully to the next stage. The process is based on techniques that aim to achieve more effective delivery of benefits and more predictable costs and outcomes. More information on PRINCE2 and Gateway can be found on the OGC website http://www.ogc.gov.uk
	To complement the methodology and process, DfES and its ICT system development partners adopt a variety of tools and methods to ensure new IT system performance targets are met which include benchmarking, performance testing, iterative development techniques and user acceptance testing.
	In addition, DfES has dedicated in-house teams which provide an assurance and support role for departmental ICT-enabled projects.

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which external consultants were used by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06; and what the (i) nature and (ii) cost of the work was in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: This information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

EU Integration

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy developments there have been in his area of responsibility that responded to EU decisions recommendations and communications in each of the last three years as referred to in the answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1125W, on EU integration.

Bill Rammell: National policies are developed in line with national priorities, and take account of a number of factors, which may include EU decisions, recommendations and communications, as well as the exchange of best practice. EU competence in education and training is limited to supporting and supplementing the actions of member states, and fully respects the responsibility of member states for the content and organisation of education and training.

Departments: Languages

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make knowledge of a foreign language a condition for appointment to senior civil service grades in his Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Secretary of State has no plans to ask the permanent secretary of his Department to consider such a change. The Professional Skills for Government framework sets out the skills and expertise needed in senior civil service jobs across Government, and allows the flexibility to specify foreign language skills where that is relevant in appointing to a particular post.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex have received an educational maintenance allowance;
	(2)  how many young people in Eastbourne received an educational maintenance allowance in each year since the introduction of the allowance.

Phil Hope: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the DfES and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Energy Use

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Parmjit Dhanda: In the Department's energy return as part of the last published report on Sustainable Development in Government for 2004-05, DfES HQ buildings reported 16 per cent. of energy consumed is acquired from renewable sources.

English Language

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department is taking to ensure that those least able to pay can access training in English for Speakers of Other Languages.

Phil Hope: Those least able to pay for an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course will be eligible for full fee remission if they are in receipt of jobseekers allowance or an income related benefit including working tax credit.
	Support for those wishing to access ESOL courses is provided by local colleges and training providers. The local Learning and Skills Council will be able to provide details of local provision.
	A Race Equality Impact Assessment is currently being conducted to consider further the impact of proposed changes to eligibility for ESOL courses and this will be published shortly.

Family Courts: Manpower

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to recruit and retain an experienced workforce in children and family court advisory and support services.

Parmjit Dhanda: This is a matter for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Lady with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 2 March 2007:
	I am writing to you in response to Parliamentary Question 122547.
	PQ122547—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans he has to recruit and retain an experienced workforce in children and family court advisory and support services.
	CAFCASS already has a highly experienced workforce and new Family Court Advisors generally have at least 3 and usually over 5 years post-qualifying experience. CAFCASS carries out extensive training to ensure the skills of all staff are up to date, and that its training programmes are fit for purpose. A strategic pay review is underway, to ensure that levels of pay are competitive. CAFCASS evaluates the success of its recruitment initiatives and carries out exit interviews with staff who leave to ensure any lessons can be learnt. A comprehensive workforce strategy is being consulted on internally at present, and this will address all CAFCASS workforce needs over the next 3-5 years.
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the House Library.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university applications there were in each of the past seven years by people living in  (a) England,  (b) the North East region and  (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency.

Bill Rammell: The available information is taken from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and is given in the table. UCAS do not produce statistics on applicants by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  English applicants through UCAS to full time higher education courses 
			  Year of entry  English domiciles  Of which: From the North East 
			 2000 321,343 14,561 
			 2001 330,856 15,101 
			 2002 331,602 15,146 
			 2003 337,593 15,841 
			 2004 339,967 15,571 
			 2005 368,801 16,360 
			 2006 358,067 16,127 
			  Source: UCAS annual datasets 
		
	
	Latest figures for entry in 2007, show that there were 291,075 applicants from England as at 15 January 2007. This represented a rise of 7.1 per cent. over the same point in the 2006 entry cycle. Of these English applicants, 12,003 were from the North East.

Higher Education: Student Wastage

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what rates of student retention were in each academic year from 1996 to 2007, broken down by  (a) social class,  (b) ethnicity and  (c) age.

Bill Rammell: Non-continuation figures are available for full-time entrants to higher education, and these provide an indication of student retention. These figures show the proportion of entrants who do not continue in higher education after their first year. The rates for young (under 21) and mature (21 and over) entrants to full-time first degrees are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Percentage of UK-domiciled entrants to full-time first degrees in HEIs in the UK not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			   Young  Mature 
			 1996/97 7.6 15.3 
			 1997/98 7.6 15.3 
			 1998/99 7.9 16.0 
			 1999/2000 7.8 15.9 
			 2000/01 7.1 14.5 
			 2001/02 7.3 14.9 
			 2002/03 7.8 15.4 
			 2003/04 7.7 15.6 
			  Source: "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by HESA 
		
	
	Non-continuation rates have not been published by National Statistics Socio-Economic Class (NS-SEC). However, HEFCE have provided non-continuation figures for young full-time first degree entrants in 2002/03 and 2003/04, broken down by NS-SEC for broad groups of entry qualification levels. These figures are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of young entrants to full-time first degrees in HEIs in the UK in2002/03 and 2003/04 not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			Entrants 2002-03  Entrants 2003-04 
			  Entry qualification categories  Tariff points  NS-SEC 1 to3  NS-SEC 4 to 7  All entrants with known NS-SEC  NS-SEC 1 to3  NS-SEC 4 to 7  All entrants with known NS-SEC 
			 A-levels or Highers: Unknown 11.6 14.7 12.7 8.1 11.8 9.1 
			  Up to 200 11.3 11.3 11.3 11.1 11.9 11.4 
			  201 to 290 7.8 8.0 7.9 7.6 8.4 7.9 
			  291 to 380 4.7 5.1 4.8 4.9 5.8 5.2 
			  Above 380 2.4 3.2 2.6 2.5 3.4 2.7 
			 
			 Other qualifications  9.4 10.9 9.9 9.2 11.1 9.9 
			 
			 All qualifications  6.4 8.1 6.9 6.0 8.2 6.7 
			  Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) 
		
	
	Figures are not available for earlier years because the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification was introduced in 2001 and was adopted by UCAS and HESA in 2002.
	These data pre-date the 2006/07 introduction of tuition fee loans ensuring that no student has to find their fees either before or during their studies, the introduction of non-repayable maintenance grants of up to £2,700 for those from low income households and university bursaries. Alongside this, the Higher Education Funding Council for England's Widening Participation Allocation (WPA) continues to provide the HE sector with funding to improve retention rates (for 2006/07 retention funding amounts to £240 million of the £345 million total WPA).
	There are currently no non-continuation figures available which are broken down by ethnic group.

Literature: Curriculum

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy considerations affected the decision to include the study of pre-20th century English literature on the Key Stage 3 English curriculum.

Jim Knight: The pre-20th century texts chosen enable pupils to understand the appeal and importance over time of texts from the English literary heritage. These are authors with an enduring appeal that transcends the period in which they were written and have played a significant role in the development of literature in English. They continue to be read, studied and interpreted in print and on screen for contemporary audiences.

Ofsted

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of the Ofsted staff surveys for  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2006;
	(2)  if he will publish Ofsted's disciplinary procedures and guidelines on bullying in the workplace;
	(3)  how much was spent by Ofsted on external press relations and communications advice in each of the last three years; and what the planned expenditure was for the 2007-08 financial year;
	(4)  how many staff work for Ofsted; and how many left their posts in each of the last three years;
	(5)  which positions of employment are being advertised by Ofsted.

Jim Knight: holding answer 1 March 2007
	These matters are for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and copies of her replies have been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 March 2007:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 124433: Ofsted Staff Survey
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked whether we would place in the Library copies of the Ofsted staff surveys for 2004 and 2006.
	As requested, a copy of the 2004 and 2006 staff surveys have been placed in the Library for your information.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 March 2007:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 124435: External Press Relations and Communications Advice
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked how much was spent by Ofsted on external press relations and communications advice in each of the last three years; and what the planned expenditure was for the 2007-08 financial year.
	Ofsted manages external press relations through an in-house press team and since 2005 has made use of services provided by the Government News Network to support regional media enquiries. Through our Corporate Learning and Development team, we also run media training courses. The total cost of these services in 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively were £309,907 and £330,895.
	As we have not yet reached the end of this financial year, we are unable to give final costs for 2006-07, but these will be in the region of £400k. The forecast spend for 2007-08 is £470k. The increase reflects Ofsted's expanded remit.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 March 2007:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 124434: Ofsted's Disciplinary Procedures and Guidelines on Bullying
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	As requested, I have enclosed copies of Ofsted's Disciplinary Policy and Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Policy for your information.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 March 2007:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 124436: Staffing
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked how many staff work for Ofsted and how many staff left their posts in each of the last three years.
	At the end of December 2006, 2190 full time equivalent staff worked for Ofsted.
	We have shown the figures in two parts. Each year we have had leavers due to staff turnover but, in addition, during 2005 and 2006 Ofsted undertook a significant restructuring programme entitled 'Improving Ofsted'. This programme was undertaken to improve business efficiency and reduce our overall running costs. Ofsted closed eight of its twelve offices, resulting in a number of redundancies. We have therefore identified those leavers separately from the rest:
	
		
			  January to December  Normal leavers  Improving Ofsted leavers  Total leavers 
			 2004 291 0 291 
			 2005 344 198 542 
			 2006 285 298 583 
		
	
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 March 2007:
	 Parliamentary Question Number 124437: Positions of Employment Currently Being Advertised by Ofsted
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked which positions of employment are being advertised by Ofsted.
	The following positions are currently being advertised on our website (www.ofsted.gov.uk):
	Childcare Inspectors (temporary posts), Midlands region
	Contact Centre Administrators, National Business Unit, Manchester
	The following positions have recently been advertised:
	Director, Corporate Services
	Director, Children
	Director, Learning and Skills
	Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) - annual campaign
	Administrators, Midlands (8 posts in Education and Children's Directorate)
	Case Officers, Complaints, Investigation and Enforcement, Midlands (5 posts)
	The following positions will be advertised shortly:
	Deputy Director, Corporate Services
	Deputy Director, Children
	Deputy Director, Learning and Skills
	Deputy Director, Finance
	Secondment opportunities for Headteachers/senior managers
	Statistician, Post 16 Education team, Research, Analysis and International
	Division
	Our recruitment activity is slightly higher than normal because of the need to fill essential posts in the run up to the creation of the New Ofsted following the passage of the Education and Inspection Act last year.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Out-of-School Child Care

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the provision of out-of-school child care for children aged 11 years or over in the context of the formulation of his policy on lone parents.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities have an existing duty to carry out an annual assessment of child care provision in their area, including out-of-school provision for 11-year-olds. From April 2007, the Childcare Act 2006 places a new duty on local authorities to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the sufficiency of child care in their area, taking into account for all age groups the demand for child care, supply of child are, and any gaps between the two. Jobcentre Plus are designated 'partners' of local authorities in the fulfilment of this duty. Recently published statutory guidance highlights the importance of considering the child care needs of lone parents and their families.
	Local authorities must complete their first sufficiency assessment within one year in order to prepare for their new duty, coming into force in April 2008, to secure sufficient child care provision to enable parents to enter or remain in work, or to make the transition to work. Statutory guidance will make it clear that local authorities will need to ensure that there is sufficient provision available to meet the needs of families at risk of social exclusion, including lone parent families. The greater availability of child care should make it easier for lone parents to return to work.

Pupil Exclusions: Education

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what obligations there are on local education authorities to provide education for excluded pupils; and what funding is available for these pupils;
	(2)  what guidelines his Department issues on recouping funds for excluded pupils.

Jim Knight: The Department issues guidance on arrangements for money to follow permanently excluded pupils. This is published online at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/exclusion/guidance/part8/
	In addition to these statutory arrangements local authorities have discretion to include in their local funding formula a factor that makes a further adjustment to a school's budget for a permanent exclusion. This provides the local authority with additional funding that can be used to support the pupil while he attends a Pupil Referral Unit or other provision or be given to an admitting school.
	Currently local authorities are committed to providing suitable full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils from the 16th day of their exclusion until such time as they are admitted to another school. From 1 September 2007 (subject to Parliamentary approval) there will be a statutory duty on local authorities to provide suitable full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils from the sixth day of their exclusion. We estimate the cost to local authorities of provision for pupils that have been permanently excluded is £3.5 million in 2007-08 (for September 2007 to March 2008), which local authorities will need to meet from within the 5 per cent. increase in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) per pupil that all authorities have received for 2007-08. Subject to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, funding will be included in authorities' DSG allocations for 2008-09 and beyond to cover the whole year cost. Guidance on implementing day six provision is published online
	http://www.teachernetgov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=10834
	Copies of this guidance, and the guidance referred to above, have been placed in the Library.

Pupils: Intimidation

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures have been taken in the last five years to help teachers to tackle homophobic bullying of  (a) pupils and  (b) teachers in schools.

Jim Knight: The Government believe there is no place for homophobic bullying in schools and our general guidance on bullying and the Anti-Bullying Charter make this clear. In 2004 my Department and the Department of Health jointly published guidance on challenging homophobia in schools called "Stand up for us". Recognising that homophobic bullying can be a particularly difficult issue for many teachers to deal with, my Department has more recently commissioned Stonewall and Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH) to produce web-based guidance for schools which will look more specifically at how to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying. We intend to issue the guidance later this year and will follow this up with a series of regional seminars for local authorities and schools.
	The responsibility for ensuring that teachers are not discriminated against at work rests with their employer (the governing body of the school or the local authority). The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 outlaws discrimination and harassment in employment and vocational training on the grounds of sexual orientation, and schools and staff representatives work together to ensure that the framework provided by the Regulations keep all school staff free from homophobic bullying and harassment.

Pupils: Sexual Orientation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 21 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1829-30W, on pupils: sexuality, what steps he is taking to combat bullying of transgendered children in schools.

Jim Knight: Further to my answer of 21 February 2007, my officials are meeting transsexual representative groups to discuss their concerns, and we will consider how best to proceed in the light of those discussions.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many meetings have taken place between officials from  (a) his Department and  (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and Professor John White in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: Officials from the Department and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) have met Professor John White through his attendance at meetings of QCA's Secondary Curriculum Review External Committee. My officials have not met separately with Professor John White.

Student Unions

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the National Union of Students on the implications of the Charities Act 2006 for plans by universities to integrate student unions into their own structures; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I recently met with the National Union of Students and this was one of the issues they raised. We share the opinion of their legal advisers that, in almost all circumstances, a Student Union is separate from its parent university. I have raised this issue with Universities UK, the universities' representative body, and they will be ensuring that their members are made aware of the NUS' legal advice.

Undergraduate Bankruptcy

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate students resident in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) the East of England and  (c) England declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: Available data are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of students( 1)  with publicly-owned student loans who notified the Student Loans Company (SLC) of their bankruptcy, or individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) while studying( 2) —Students domiciled in Suffolk, East of England government office region and England—Calendar years of bankruptcy or IVA 1997 to 2006 
			  Calendar year  Suffolk( 3)  East of England( 3)  England( 4) 
			 1997 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 1998 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 1999 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 2000 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 2001 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 2002 (5)— (5)— 10 
			 2003 (5)— 5 50 
			 2004 (5)— 10 105 
			 2005 (5)— (5)— 35 
			 2006 (5)— (5)— 15 
			 (1 )Figures are rounded to the nearest five borrowers. There may be delays between borrowers becoming bankrupt and notifying SLC, therefore figures can increase over time, particularly for the most recent years. There may be some borrowers who do not notify the SLC of their bankruptcy, as the Higher Education Act 2004 included provisions to prevent student loans being written-off on bankruptcy. Students on postgraduate initial teacher training courses can be eligible for loans. The table covers all student loan borrowers, and therefore may include those who took out loans for postgraduate study in addition to those who were undergraduate students. (2) The table shows those who became bankrupt or made an IVA before or during the last academic year in which they took out a student loan. (3) Income-contingent loans only. Information on mortgage-style loan borrowers who are bankrupt or have IVAs is not available by local authority or government office region. (4 )Mortgage-style and income-contingent loans. (5) Nil or less than five.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Media coverage of the issue of student loan borrowers declaring themselves bankrupt during the passage of the Enterprise Act 2002 may have contributed to the rise in bankruptcies in 2003 and 2004. In addition, one of the effects of the Enterprise Act itself was to reduce the period of discharge from bankruptcy from three years to one.
	Provisions were therefore included in the Higher Education Act 2004 to prevent student loans being written off on bankruptcy. This may explain the subsequent fall. While borrowers who have become bankrupt remain liable to repay their student loans, they continue to benefit from the same terms as other borrowers, with repayments linked to income and no obligation to repay if their annual income is below £15,000.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which targets are in place for the processing and clearing of Child Support Agency cases.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive.
	He will write to the hon. Lady with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 7 March 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which targets are in place for the processing and clearing of Child Support Agency cases.
	The Child Support Agency has been set six targets by the Secretary of State for 2006-07, which were published in the Agency's Business Plan, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.csa.gov.uk/pdf/English/reports/plan0607.pdf.
	Two of these targets relate to the processing and clearing of applications received since the new scheme was introduced in March 2003.
	The first concerns the volume of applications being cleared and states that: by 31 March 2007, the Agency will have reduced the volume of uncleared new scheme applications by 25 per cent. of the amount outstanding by the end of March 2006.
	The second concerns the speed with which new applications should be processed and stated that: by 31 March 2007, the Agency will clear 55 per cent. of new applications within 12 weeks of receipt and 80 per cent. within 26 weeks.
	The Agency's latest performance against these targets was published in table 2.1 and table 3 of the December Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly _dec06.asp

Child Support Agency

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Child Support Agency staff have received guidance on the prioritisation of the Agency's caseload by age of case; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 23 February 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter of the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Lady with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 7 March 2007:
	In rely to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of Stat for Work and Pensions, whether Child Support Agency staff have received guidance on the prioritisation of the Agency's caseload by age of case; and if he will make a statement.
	The Secretary of State sets a number of targets to measure the performance, and set the priorities, of the Child Support Agency on a yearly basis. The Secretary of State's case clearance target by March 2007 is to clear 55 per cent. of cases received that month within 12 weeks, and 80 per cent. of cases within 26 weeks. In addition, under the Operational Improvement Plan, the Agency is committed to reducing the number of uncleared new scheme applications by 25 per cent. by March 2007. The Agency issues guidance to its employees in order to ensure people and resources are effectively deployed to meet these targets and commitments, and to ensure more money gets to more children as quickly as possible.
	As of December 2006, 55 per cent. of Agency cases were cleared within 12 weeks, up from 49 per cent. on December 2005, and 74 per cent. of cases were cleared within 26 weeks, up from 64 per cent. in December 2005. Further, as of December 2006 the number of uncleared new scheme applications stood as 186,000 and the total number of uncleared cases in the last three months has been the lowest since comparable records began in 1999.

Child Support Agency

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional amount of unpaid maintenance debt has been recovered in each month since the introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan; what new debt accrued in each month; what maintenance remained uncollected in each month; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 19 February 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Lady with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 7 March 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional amount of unpaid maintenance debt has been recovered in each month since the introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan; what new debt accrued in each month; what maintenance remained uncollected in each month; and if he will make a statement.
	The Operational Improvement Plan announced in Parliament on 9(th) February 2006 and launched in April 2006 aims over the next three years to improve our service to clients, increase the amount of money we collect, achieve greater compliance from non-resident parents and as a result achieve a reduction in child poverty and a better standard of living for many more children.
	The initial phase of the Operational Improvement Plan has focused on the organisational and operational restructuring of the Agency, and the training of our people to increase our capacity and capability. No commitments were made for the first year but once this phase is complete we can expect to see more clearly the benefits of the Plan.
	Even now early results show improvements in several key areas and more money is already getting to more children; at the end of December 2006 compared with a year ago:
	58,000 more children were in receipt of maintenance or had a maintenance direct arrangement in place
	59 per cent of new scheme cases with a liability made a payment or arranged Maintenance Direct (up from 54 per cent)
	Uncleared new scheme applications were down by 13 per cent (across both schemes) since March 2006 and in the last three months have been at their lowest since comparable records began in May 1999
	55 per cent of applications were cleared within twelve weeks (up from 49 per cent and meeting target level for March 2007) and 74 per cent within six months (up from 64 per cent)
	The Agency answered 97 per cent of queued calls over 12 months (up from 90 per cent)
	The Operational Improvement Plan included plans to contract out some of the outstanding debt owed to parents with care, to private debt collection agencies. By the end of January 2007 just under £750,000 had been collected by these agencies. A letter sent by the Agency to inform clients that their debt is to be transferred to the external debt collection agencies had also resulted in an additional £640,000 collected by the Agency by the end of January 2007.
	During the year ending March 2006 a total amount of £13.5 million was collected through specific legal enforcement work, an average monthly amount of £1.1 million. This has increased to £13.53 million between April and December 2006, giving a monthly average of £1.5 million.
	The Agency continues to improve the collection of child support maintenance arrears and during the year ending March 2006 a total amount of £80.8 million was collected, an average monthly amount of £6.7 million. This has increased to an average monthly amount of £7.3 million between April and December 2006.
	The attached table states the average debt growth and the total debt outstanding at the end of each month since the implementation of the Operational Improvement Plan.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Annex A: the average debt growth and total outstanding debt each month since the implementation of the Operational Improvement Plan 
			  2006  Average debt growth per month over previous 12 months (£ million)  Total outstanding debt at the end of each month (£ billion) 
			 April 19 3.514 
			 May 19 3.533 
			 June 19 3.550 
			 July 19 3.570 
			 August 18 3.588 
			 September 17 3.602 
			 October 16 3.615 
			 November 16 3.630 
			 December 15 3.645 
			  Notes: 1. The above figures have not been audited. Figures will not be finalised until the publication of the CSA Annual Report and Accounts. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest million.

Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on external consultancy in each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The DWP was formed in June 2001 and I have provided the total spent on external consultants (including VAT) in each year since formation broken down by agency.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Agency  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Jobcentre Plus(1) 4.70 5.29 8.46 7.76 17.63 
			 The Pension Service(1) 0 1.06 3.06 9.28 15.16 
			 Child Support Agency 1.18 4.00 0.94 1.06 4.23 
			 Disability and Carers Service(2) n/a n/a n/a 0.35 3.76 
			 The Rent Service(3) n/a n/a n/a 0.15 0.10 
			 Corporate Centre and NDPBs(4) 88.59 130.70 294.27 149.78 89.42 
			 DWP Total 94.46 141.04 306.72 168.37 130.29 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Jobcentre Plus and The Pension Service were established as agencies in April 2002. (2) The Disability and Carers Service was established as an agency in November 2004. (3) The Rent Service became part of DWP in April 2004. (4) The Appeals Service moved to the Department of Constitutional Affairs in April 2006.

Departments: Equal Opportunities

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has a gender  (a) strategy and  (b) equality action plan in place.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 5 March 2007
	The information is as follows:  (a) The Department will be taking the steps outlined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities)(Statutory Duties) Order 2006 (No. 2930) which are due to come into force on 6 April 2007. The Department's Gender Equality Schemes were published on 1 December 2006 and set out the strategy for gender equality.
	 (b) Each business within the Department has committed to objectives for addressing areas of concern and for ensuring that we meet the requirements of the Gender Duty. These objectives were set out in action plans for each business, which were published in the Gender Equality Schemes on1 December 2006.

Departments: Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1200W, on departmental cost, how much was spent on  (a) involuntary and  (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in (i) his Department and (ii) each agency of the Department in each year since 2005-06; how much is planned to be spent for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The amounts spent by the Department and its agencies on voluntary staff exit schemes in 2005-06 are set out in the following tables The in-year costs for each agency include lump sums paid to individuals on the day of departure, plus Annual Compensation Payments for exits in that year and from previous years. They exclude Annual Compensation Payments for future years.
	The Department is unable to differentiate between voluntary and involuntary exits schemes but to date there has been only one compulsory redundancy.
	Departmental Actual and Planned Expenditure
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 139.98 
			 2006-07 67.58 
			 2007-08 131.74 
		
	
	 Expenditure in 2005-06
	
		
			  Business  £ million 
			 The Pension Service 14.06 
			 Child Support Agency 4.48 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6.98 
			 The Appeals Service 0.16 
			 Jobcentre Plus 69.01 
			 Health and Safety Executive 1.81 
			 The Rent Service 0.00 
			 Corporate and Shared Services 43.48 
			 Total 139.98 
			  Note: A proportion of the ongoing annual pension payments for early retirement cases are held centrally and included in the Departmental Corporate Units' line. 
		
	
	 Expenditure in 2006-07
	The actual expenditure for the Department and its agencies on voluntary staff exit schemes to January 2007 and are forecast for February and March 2007 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Business  £ million 
			 The Pension Service 3.71 
			 Child Support Agency 1.34 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0.26 
			 The Appeals Service — 
			 Jobcentre Plus 45.38 
			 Health and Safety Executive 0 
			 The Rent Service 0.33 
			 Departmental Corporate Units 16.56 
			 Total 67.58 
			  Note: The Appeals Service is no longer an agency of the Department. 
		
	
	 Expenditure in 2007-08
	The forecast expenditure for the Department and its agencies on voluntary staff exit schemes in 2007-08 is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Business  £ million 
			 The Pension Service 52.39 
			 Child Support Agency 3.71 
			 Disability and Carers Service 8.97 
			 The Appeals Service — 
			 Jobcentre Plus 28.15 
			 Health and Safety Executive 0 
			 The Rent Service 2.37 
			 Departmental Corporate Units 36.15 
			 Total 131.74 
			  Notes: 1. The Appeals Service is no longer an agency of the Department.  2. The forecast is based on the £176 million Early Release Fund budget already identified for businesses in 2007-08. Further funding is likely to become available and allocated at the start of the financial year. 
		
	
	 Other Notes:
	 3. Work and Pensions Committee—Jobcentre Plus
	The uncorrected evidence from Jobcentre Plus officials at the Work and Pensions Select Committee hearing on 15 January 2007 quoted expenditure on severance packages as being £185.5 million in 2005-06 with a forecast of £116 million in 2006-07. These figures relate to allocated funding for the year whereas the expenditure figures in the tables in the response reflect actual in year expenditure. Provision needs to be set aside from allocated funding for future Annual Compensation Payments even though such costs are not incurred in year. This ongoing provision accounts for the difference between the figures in the tables and the figures quoted in the evidence session held on 15 January.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost was of visits abroad by staff in his Department in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The total cost of visits abroad by staff in the Department for Work and Pensions in the last 12 months is £961,442. This includes the cost of flights/ferries/Eurostar, accommodation and staff subsistence.

Disability Living Allowance

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason application forms for disability living allowance are not available on line.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 2 March 2007
	Electronic communications enabling on line claiming for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and State Pensions were introduced on 20 March 2006 and can be located through the Government's Direct Gov website at: http://www.direct.gov.uk

Housing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average rent is for shared accommodation in each local authority; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio of incapacity benefit to median earnings in the UK was in each year from 1975-76 to 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available in the format requested. Incapacity benefit, which replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit, was introduced in April 1995, and median earnings data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) are only available from 1997.
	The National Statistics Annual Surveys of Hours and Earnings indicate that the ratio of long term incapacity benefit to gross weekly earnings for all employees has been broadly constant at about 22 per cent. since 1997.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has undertaken into the proportion of working age people in the UK on incapacity benefit in comparison with figures for other EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 21 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 794-95W.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of incapacity-related benefit received such benefit for  (a) mental illness and  (b) back pain in each year since 1979-80.

Anne McGuire: Information on back pain is not available prior to 1995. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of invalidity benefit, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants with a primary diagnosis of back pain or mental and behavioural disorders at the dates shown 
			  Percentage 
			   Back pain  Mental and behavioural disorders 
			 May 1980 — 12.5 
			 May 1981 — 13.7 
			 May 1982 — 14.1 
			 April 1983 — 14.7 
			 March 1984 — 16.7 
			 March 1985 — 15.7 
			 April 1986 — 15.8 
			 April 1987 — 16.5 
			 April 1988 — 16.5 
			 April 1989 — 17.2 
			 March 1990 — 17.7 
			 March 1991 — 18.1 
			 April 1992 — 18.6 
			 April 1993 — 19.3 
			 April 1994 — 19.6 
			 August 1995 11.7 21.7 
			 August 1996 12.1 24.0 
			 August 1997 12.3 26.4 
			 August 1998 12.3 28.6 
			 August 1999 12.3 30.6 
			 August 2000 12.2 32.2 
			 August 2001 12.1 33.8 
			 August 2002 11.9 35.4 
			 August 2003 11.6 36.8 
			 August 2004 11.3 38.2 
			 August 2005 11.0 39.4 
			 August 2006 10.8 40.3 
			  Notes: 1. March 1980-April 1994 figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 2. August 1995-August 1998 (inclusive) percentages have been based on 5 per cent. sample figures uprated to 100 per cent. WPLS totals. 3. August 1999-August 2006 (inclusive) percentages are based on 100 per cent. WPLS figures. 4. Incapacity benefit figures include incapacity benefit credits-only cases. 5. Incapacity benefit replaced invalidity benefit and sickness benefit in April 1995.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 1 per cent. samples, 5 per cent. samples and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Industrial Injuries

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many injuries were reported to enforcing authorities by industry in the North West in each year since 1997, broken down by region and local authority.

Anne McGuire: I have placed tables in the Library providing the number of injuries reported to enforcing authorities in the North West Government office region for the 10 years from 1996-97 to 2005-06 by local authority.
	I am pleased to report that the North West's total combined number of fatal and major injuries, and combined rate of fatal and major injuries have both shown a decline in the last year. The North West's rate for all reported injuries has declined in each of the last two years and since 2001-02 overall.
	I am concerned that both the rate of fatal and major injury and the rate of all reported injuries are higher in the North West than in Great Britain as a whole. However, this is strongly influenced by the composition of employment including the mix of industries and occupations in different regions.
	The Health and Safety Commission's risk-based strategy to improve Great Britain's health and safety performance aims to concentrate on the highest areas of incidence and the poorest performers.

Jobcentre Plus

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the Jobcentre Plus offices which  (a) had their hours of opening to the public reduced and  (b) closed in each of the past four years, broken down by Parliamentary constituency.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 23 November 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking if he will list the Jobcentre Plus Offices which (a) had their hours of opening to the public reduced and (b) closed in each of the last four years, broken down by Parliamentary constituency. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	I enclose:
	Annex A which provides a list of the offices that reduced their opening hours to the public in the last four years; and
	Annex B which provides a list of the offices that have closed in the last four years.
	It is not possible to break these lists down by Parliamentary constituency. This information is provided at a Jobcentre Plus Regional level and is set out in the attached tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
	The list of closures should also be set against the 837 offices that we have rolled out to date under our restructuring programme, plus over 150 locations where we have installed flexible service delivery arrangements.
	I would emphasise that the closure of any of our offices involves consultation with local stakeholders, including MPs, and putting in place suitable alternative arrangements for delivering services to our customers.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were employed at each Jobcentre Plus in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to my hon. Friend.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many people were employed at each Jobcentre Plus in the most recent year for which figures are available. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The latest month for which actual information relating to this question is available is October 2006. The information has been placed in the Library and shows the actual number of people who work in Jobcentre Plus offices (Staff in Post) that have completed their transformation as part of the national roll out, and the number of full-time equivalent staff. I have not included those offices that have yet to convert.
	There are several sites which either show no staff are based there or have low numbers of staff. Those showing no staff based there are flexible delivery sites where staff from a nearby office open the site on a limited number of days each week. Sites that show low numbers of staff are either in rural areas providing a full Jobcentre Plus service or in urban areas providing Crisis Loan payments at a screened delivery point.

Jobcentre Plus: Violence against Staff

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many incidents of violence towards Job Centre Plus staff from clients receiving a decision on Social Fund Crisis funds were recorded in each year since 2003; and how many have been recorded in 2007;
	(2)  how many incidents of violence towards Job Centre Plus staff from clients were recorded in each year since 2003; and how many have been recorded in 2007.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Gentleman with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 7 March 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning incidents of violence towards Jobcentre Plus staff  (a) from customers receiving a decision on Social Fund Crisis funds and  (b) more generally in the delivery of our services. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Agency has robust arrangements for collecting information following verbal, attempted, or actual assaults on our staff. As part of the incident reporting process, we ask our staff to categorise as near as they can the cause of an incident by selecting from a list. We do not have an exact match to the 'Social Fund Crisis funds' category in your question, but the second column of the table below shows where staff have selected the closest match—a category entitled 'Social Fund/Hardship claim dispute, e.g. eligibility, delays, demands'. The third column shows the total number of actual assaults against our staff during the period you state. Incidents relating to Social Fund/Hardship represent a small proportion of the total number of assaults.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Actual assaults—social fund  Total actual assaults 
			 2003 6 239 
			 2004 7 341 
			 2005 10 420 
			 2006 10 421 
			 2007 (to date) 0 3 
		
	
	We take the safety of our people very seriously. Customer-facing activity is thoroughly risk-assessed and control measures are in place to manage the risk in our offices. Whilst no assault is acceptable, our assault figures should be seen in the context not only of the millions of face to face contacts we have with customers each year, but also a more rigorous approach to reporting incidents being adopted. The likelihood of being subject to an actual assault in our offices is low: for example, in 2006, around one half of one percent of our staff reported such an incident.
	Moreover, the vast majority of these assaults do not result in any physical injury: fewer than 20 assaults each year result in injuries reported as 'more than minor cuts and bruises' and the number of injuries per year, unlike the wider reported trend, has not increased since 2003.

Occupational Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the aggregate amount of payments made by employers as an inducement to members of defined benefit occupational pension schemes to agree to a reduction in their benefits or to a transfer out of the defined benefit scheme to a defined contribution scheme in each of the last three years.

James Purnell: The Department has not made any estimate of the aggregate amount of inducement payments. The information needed to make a meaningful estimate is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer the Question tabled by the hon. Member for Twickenham on 17 November 2006, on bonus payments, reference 102054.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 11 January 2007
	I replied to the hon. Gentleman's question on 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 394W.

Pathways to Work

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Pathways to Work programmes are registered  (a) blind or partially sighted and  (b) deaf; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Of the individuals who have entered Pathways to Work, there are 170 whose disability condition is recorded as 'blindness and low vision' and 160 whose disability condition is recorded as 'other hearing loss'.
	 Notes:
	1. The data on medical condition for Pathways to Work participants are incomplete. The reason for this is that they are drawn from incapacity benefit data that appear in the National Benefits Database (NBD). This impacts on the completeness of Pathways medical condition data in two ways. Firstly, NBD lags behind other Pathways Evaluation Database sources by some three to four months. Secondly, the NBD incapacity benefit data are based on a six-weekly snapshot, which means that some short-term claims of less than six weeks never appear. For this reason it is important that the above response should only be taken as an indication of Pathways activity for people with the specified disabilities. The NBD only records the individual's primary medical condition.
	2. Some individuals may not have been on Pathways long enough to attend a Work Focused Interview (WFI) or may have left Pathways before the initial WFI was due or may have had their initial WFI deferred or waived.
	3. The category of 'other hearing loss' is a sub-category of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, condition 'Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process'. The majority of people who are deaf would come under this subcategory.
	 Source:
	Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.
	Data is to the end of June 2006.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Renewable Energy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much electricity used by his Department was generated from  (a) renewable sources and  (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of electricity used by his Department was generated from  (a) renewable sources and  (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The latest available figures for 2005-06 show the Department for Work and Pensions used, in total, 327,460,763 kWh of electricity. Of this,  (a) 175,174,178 kWhs was generated from renewable sources, which accounts for 53.5 per cent. of the total electricity generation.
	 (b) Currently, the Department uses no electricity generated from on-site microgeneration facilities as the long-term payback periods have in the past discouraged their implementation. However the Department is exploring, with its Estates Partners, Land Securities Trillium, new opportunities to develop such facilities.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of disability benefit fraud were committed in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available below Government office region level.

Social Security Benefits: Students

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of gap year students who are included in the not in education, employment or training figures, broken down by region.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no data available on how many gap year students are included in the not on education, employment or training figures either at the national or regional level.

Unemployed Disabled People

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who are  (a) blind or partially sighted and  (b) deaf and are in a Pathways to Work pilot programme (i) have received and (ii) are receiving (A) job search and (B) rehabilitation support; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Of the 170 individuals whose disability condition is recorded as 'blindness and low vision' and who have entered Pathways to Work, 90 have received or are receiving job search support.
	Of the 160 Individuals whose disability condition is recorded as 'other hearing loss' and who have entered Pathways to Work, 80 have received or are receiving job search support.
	The numbers given for individuals receiving job search support are those who have attended a Work Focused Interview and/or participating in the New Deal for Disabled People. As end dates for individuals on Pathways to Work or on New Deal for Disabled People are not recorded, it is not possible to make a distinction between those who have received and those who are receiving any of these support.
	No data are collected on those who have received or are receiving rehabilitation support.
	 Notes:
	1. The data on medical conditions for Pathways to Work participants are incomplete. The reason for this is that they are drawn from incapacity benefit data that appear in the National Benefits Database (NBD). This impacts on the completeness of Pathways medical condition data in two ways. Firstly, NBD lags behind other Pathways Evaluation Database sources by some three to four months. Secondly, the NBD incapacity benefit data are based on a six weekly snapshot, which means that some short-term claims of less than six weeks never appear. For this reason it is important that the above response should only be taken as an indication of Pathways activity for people with specified disabilities. The NBD only records the individual's primary medical condition.
	2. Numbers for individuals receiving rehabilitation support could only be calculated as the number of individuals referred to the Condition Management Programme (CMP) but no data are collected on when an individual starts or ends CMP.
	3. Some individuals may not have been n Pathways long enough to attend a Work Focused Interview (WFI) or may have left Pathways before the initial WFI was due or may have had their initial WFI deferred or waived.
	4. The category of 'other hearing loss' is a sub-category of the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision, condition 'Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process'. The majority of people who are deaf would come under this category.
	 Source:
	Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.
	Data are to the end of June 2006.
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments, there were in England in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2001 and  (c) the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by type; what forecasts she has made of the number and type of accident and emergency departments that will be required in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: National health service trusts self-report the number of accident and emergency (A&E) departments they provide against definitions provided by the Department for each type of A&E on a quarterly basis. The information available is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   2000-01  2006-07 
			 Number of type one (major) A&E departments 201 204 
			 Number of type two (single specialty) A&E departments 34 68 
			 Number of type three A&E departments (minor injury and illness services, including minor injury units and walk-in centres) 207 287 
			  Notes: QMAE dataset used for 2006-07 figures. KH03 dataset and walk-in centre monthly report used for 2000-01 figures Position is at end of March for 2000-01, but end December for 2006-07  Source: Department of Health QMAE dataset, KH03 dataset and walk-in centre monthly service report. 
		
	
	Prior to 2000-01, trusts submitted written information on whether or not they provided any A&E services. They did not provide a count of the number of services provided. This pre-2000-01 trust data are available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.
	It is a matter for the local NHS to ensure that there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency care services, including A&E facilities, that are responsive to people's needs. As the number of services required is not centrally determined, no forecast of numbers for 2008 and 2010 are available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the merits of raising the duty on alcohol sold by  (a) supermarkets and  (b) off-licences;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the public health effects of a rise in the average per unit cost of alcohol sold by  (a) supermarkets and  (b) off-licences.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Treasury Ministers on a wide range of issues.
	All taxes and duty rates are kept under review by the HM Treasury and are considered by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Alcoholic Drinks: Warnings

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to introduce health warnings on alcoholic products.

Caroline Flint: The Government are working with the United Kingdom alcohol industry to reach a voluntary agreement to standardise and strengthen unit information that appears on alcoholic drinks labels and to include a standardised sensible drinking message, including information regarding drinking alcohol during pregnancy. I have recently written to the industry with a proposal for the content of standardised unit information and a standarised sensible drinking message and hope to conclude an agreement shortly.

Anaesthetics

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to promote awareness of the guidelines of the Royal College of Anaesthetists on the use of epidural injections, with particular reference to the importance of ensuring patient awareness of risk; and what assessment she has made of the effect on healthcare of the approval of unlicensed drug use by hospital Drug and Therapeutic Committees.

Caroline Flint: The Royal College of Anaesthetists guidelines on the use of epidural injections are welcomed as a contribution to practice in this area. We have made no assessment of the effect on healthcare of the approval of unlicensed drug use by hospital Drug and Therapeutic Committees.

Avian Influenza

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tonnes of  (a) raw and  (b) processed meat passed into the food chain from the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk after the announcement of the outbreak of avian influenza there.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency informs me that their enquiries have shown that, from the announcement of the confirmation of the outbreak of avian influenza at 10 pm on 2 February 2007, until the resumption of production on 12 February 2007 the total tonnage of raw and processed poultry meat entering the food chain was:
	Turkey 850 tons; and
	Chicken 50 tons.
	All this meat was from birds slaughtered prior to 2 February and none of it came from birds from the infected premises.

Avian Influenza

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the origin was of the  (a) raw and  (b) processed meat which passed into the food chain after the announcement of the outbreak of avian influenza at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency informs me that their inquiries have shown that the origin of the meat that entered the food chain after the announcement of the outbreak of avian influenza was as follows:
	Of the turkey meat deboned and trimmed in Holton:
	757 tons was from United Kingdom; and
	93 tons was from Hungary.
	All the chicken was from Brazil.

Avian Influenza

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of the staff employed in the processing of meat at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk had contact with live birds during their duties.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency inform me that their enquiries have shown that no staff handling meat at the plant handled live birds. The only staff coming into contact with live birds are those working in the lairage/killing area (which is separate from the main processing area). For hygiene reasons, these staff are not deployed in meat processing areas and there is no swapping of roles.

Avian Influenza

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit and role is of scientists in the Food Standards Agency in providing advice on avian influenza; and if she will place in the Library copies of the advice provided by those scientists since 19 January 2007.

Caroline Flint: The role of scientists in the Food Standards Agency is to gather and use appropriately and effectively all the available information on food safety aspects of avian flu and provide advice based on that evidence. The advice on the potential food safety risks associated with avian flu is based upon the conclusions of the Agency's independent Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), and research reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards. Copies of the advice provided by the Agency and the ACMSF are available in the Library.

Breast Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women non-urgently referred by their GP with a suspected breast problem in the last period for which figures are available were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	Statistics on the number of women referred by their general practitioner (GP) with suspected breast problems are not collected centrally. The statistics held by the Department only identify those women who are urgently referred by a GP for suspected breast cancer. For the most recently available period (October to December 2006) 49.3 per cent. of all patients treated for breast cancer had been referred urgently for suspected cancer by their GP.

Breast Cancer: Maidstone

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that women whose treatment for breast cancer is delayed at Maidstone oncology department do not develop other cancers during the wait.

Rosie Winterton: The provision of breast cancer services at Maidstone hospital is a matter for the local national health service.
	In August 2002, National Institute for Clinical Excellence published an update of "Improving Outcomes in Breast Cancer". One of the key recommendations sets out that breast cancer patients should not have to wait more than four weeks for any form of treatment or supportive intervention. The Improving Outcomes Guidance also recommends that radiotherapy centres should have sufficient staff and capacity to guarantee access to radiotherapy within four weeks of identification of need.

Cancer: Diagnosis

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients urgently referred by their GP with suspected cancer in the last period for which figures were available were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	During the most recently available period (October to December 2006) 162,855 people were referred urgently for suspected cancer by their general practitioner. 20,366 patients began treatment for a diagnosed cancer following an urgent referral for suspected cancer during the same period. However these two figures do not refer to the same group of patients because a proportion of the patients beginning their treatment within the period will have been referred prior to October 2006.

Cancer: Diagnosis

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients diagnosed with cancer in the last period for which figures are available were  (a) urgently referred and  (b) routinely referred by their GP; and what proportion were identified through an NHS cancer screening programme.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	Data are not held centrally for those patients who were not urgently referred by their general practitioner (GP) for suspected cancer. For the most recently available period (October to December 2006) published data show that of all patients treated 39.7 per cent. were referred urgently for suspected cancer by their GP, and 60.3 per cent. were referred from another source, or routinely referred (this will include referrals from NHS screening services).
	We do hold information specifically relating to screening services. For breast screening, during the year 2004-05 (the most recently available) statistics show that 71,363 women were referred for an assessment by a local breast screening service. Of these patients 71,363 were subsequently diagnosed with cancer.
	For cervical screening, during the year 2005-06 (the most recently available) information held by the Department indicates that 129,207 women were referred for a colposcopy examination by a local cervical screening service. Of these women 857 were subsequently diagnosed with a severe or invasive carcinoma.

Carers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she is making towards meeting the commitment made in paragraph 5.55 of her Department's Primary Care White Paper "Our health, our care, our say" published 30 January 2006, Cm 6737, for short-term, home-based respite support to be established for carers in crisis and emergency situations in each council area in England.

Ivan Lewis: The Department unveiled a multi-million pound package of support for carers on 21 March 2007. This included £25 million to be divided between councils and spent on providing short-term home based breaks for carers in crisis or emergency situations.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of women attending cervical screening.

Rosie Winterton: Women invited to participate in the national health service cervical screening programme need to understand the potential benefits and harms in doing so and to be able to make an informed choice about whether or not they wish to proceed. Information provided to women must be honest, comprehensive and understandable. That is why the NHS Cancer Plan stated that all eligible women will receive a national information leaflet on cervical screening, which is now sent out with each invitation for screening and can be viewed at www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk
	To raise awareness about the availability of cervical screening, NHS cancer screening programmes have issued a regional communications pack to all local cervical screening services. The packs include advice on raising the awareness of screening, including posters and supplement local activity to promote the availability of cervical screening. We encourage all women to make an informed choice on whether to accept their invitations to be screened.
	We are aware of the concerns about the fall in the number of young women taking up their invitation to be screened. NHS cancer screening programmes are currently undertaking a piece of work exploring the reasons why these women do not attend. Preliminary results indicate that some women think screening will hurt or that the experience will be embarrassing. Another key factor may be that the programme is a victim of its own success, cervical cancer is now a relatively rare disease in this country thanks to the screening programme, and the public perception of risk may have diminished.
	These findings, and any others that come out of this piece of work, will be fed into the next Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) meeting in the spring and the ACCS will advise on future action.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the bowel cancer screening programme; in what areas screening is being carried out; when she expects preliminary results to be available from the programme; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women aged 60 to 69 years have been screened for bowel cancer (i) at home and (ii) in the NHS since April 2006, broken down by Government region; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Roll out of the national health service Bowel Cancer Screening Programme began in April 2006, as stated in the Health White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services". The first invitations were sent out in July 2006. The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is one of the first national bowel screening programmes in the world, and is the first cancer screening programme in England to invite men as well as women.
	Five hubs across England will invite men and women to participate in the screening programme, send out the faecal occult blood (FOB) testing kits, analyse the returned kits and send results out. Ninety to 100 local screening centres will provide endoscopy services for the 2 per cent. of men and women who have a positive FOB test result.
	The five programme hubs have been confirmed as Rugby (West Midlands and the North West), Guildford (Southern), St. Marks (London), Gateshead (North East) and Nottingham (Eastern). All five hubs will be operational by the end of March 2007.
	In addition, the first eight local screening centres have now begun operations. These are: Wolverhampton, Norwich, South Devon, Liverpool, St. Marks London, St. George's London, Gloucestershire and Bolton. The other six sites due to become local screening centres in wave 1 of the programme (2006-07) will be confirmed as soon as possible, when they have satisfied quality and capacity criteria.
	Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were invited to bid for their local endoscopy units to become local screening centres as part of wave 2 of the programme in 2007-08 on 25 January 2007. It is up to SHAs to decide where local screening centres should be located for the benefit of their own populations.
	The table shows the activity of the programme from July 2006 to 9 February 2007, broken down by gender and SHA. The table shows the number of testing kits sent out, the number of people who have completed the kits in their own homes and returned them to the laboratory, and the number of positive results. People with a positive result have received an appointment to discuss colonoscopy with a screening nurse at a local screening centre in a hospital-based setting, and have undergone their colonoscopies if appropriate. Further information, such as the number of cancers detected, will be made available as the programme progresses.
	
		
			  Strategic health authority  Invitations sent  Returned kits  Positive results 
			  Males
			 North West 8,022 2,493 26 
			 West Midlands 9,190 3,551 23 
			 East of England 10,110 5,029 38 
			 London 7,598 1,759 9 
			 South West 6,741 2,623 12 
			 Total 41,661 15,455 108 
			 
			  Females
			 North West 8,300 2,586 10 
			 West Midlands 9,527 3,672 10 
			 East of England 10,083 5,406 13 
			 London 7,645 2,007 8 
			 South West 6,924 2,966 6 
			 Total 42,479 16,637 47 
			 
			 Total 84,140 32,092 155 
		
	
	As testing kits are being sent out continuously, and there is a time period between people receiving and completing the kits, the figures above do not show the true level of uptake. We are confident that the 60 per cent. uptake rate demonstrated in the research and the pilot site will be achieved by the programme.
	The bowel cancer screening programme is an ambitious project. When fully implemented by December 2009, 2 million men and women will be screened and around 3,000 bowel cancers detected every year. We are committed to implementing this important programme.

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of waiting times in the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospital Trust area.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the provider based waiting time information for County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust as at end of December 2006.
	
		
			  Stage of treatment  Total waiting  Median(weeks)  Number waiting over 13 weeks  Number waiting over 26 weeks  Number waiting over 52 weeks 
			 Inpatient admission 5,092 5.8 839 0 n/a 
			 Outpatient appointment 6,467 3.2 0 0 n/a 
			 Diagnostic test 8,127 8.3 3,574 2,627 1,061 
			  Source: Department of Health, KH07, QM08 and DM01

Dental Services

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists there are in  (a) England and  (b) Somerset; how many accept new (i) NHS and (ii) private patients; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 6 March 2007
	Data on dentists accepting new national health service and private patients are not collected centrally.
	Information on the dental workforce under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, is published at every quarter by The Information Centre for health and social care. The latest information is as at 30 September 2006 and is provided in the following table, with the primary care trust (PCT) boundaries as at 30 September 2006.
	The Information Centre for health and social care will publish information as at 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 by the new PCT boundaries (PCT boundaries as at 1 October 2006) on 23 March 2007.
	
		
			  Numbers of dentists (performers) on open NHS contracts in England and within the specified PCTs as at 30 September 2006 
			   Number 
			 England 20,285 
			 Mendip PCT 48 
			 Somerset Coast PCT 51 
			 South Somerset PCT 94 
			 Taunton Deane PCT 63 
			  Notes: 1. A performer is defined as a dentist who has been set up on the BSA's payments online (POL) system by the PCT to work under an open contract during the relevant period. 2. Data provided are a count of the individuals listed as performers on open contracts within a PCT, including orthodontists. 3. In some cases an NHS dentist may be listed to carry out NHS work but may not do so for a given period. 4. Dentists will be counted more than once if they have contracts in more than one PCT. The England total excludes duplication. 5. The PCTs listed are those that now form Somerset PCT as a result of the 1 October 2006 PCT boundary changes.  Sources:  The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA)

Departmental Leaflets

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on nationally produced  (a) consultation documents and  (b) public information leaflets in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: Between 1 October 2004 and 31 December 2006, the Department published 1,529 documents including command papers, information leaflets, guidance documentation and national health service staff bulletins. The cost of producing these including design, typesetting, editorial and print services totalled £17,003,082—an average of £11,120 per title.
	There is currently no mechanism for identifying which of these are specifically consultation documents or information leaflets and the Department has no central record for printed publications produced prior to 1 October 2004. To attempt to gather this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Departments: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in her Department was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The total sum of bonuses paid to civil servants in the Department for financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07, is shown in the table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 1,336,649.43 
			 2006-07(1) 1,432,244.37 
			 (1 )Year to date figure (April 2006 to January 2007)

Departments: Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in bonuses to staff in her Department in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 1998-99,  (c) 1999-2000,  (d) 2000-01 and  (e) 2002-03; and how many staff qualified for bonuses in each year.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were away on sick leave from her Department for more than  (a) three months,  (b) six months,  (c) nine months and  (d) one year in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The number of people who were away on sick leave for more then three months, six months, nine months and one year, in each of the last five years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  More than: 
			 3 months 52 105 59 111 
			 6 months 20 56 27 46 
			 9 months 10 26 15 33 
			 1 year 8 19 10 26 
			  Notes:  Figures for 2002 are not available. As the analysis for 2006 figures was carried out until the end of December 2006, absences of over three months but continuing beyond 31 December 2006 are recorded against 2006, even though they will finish in 2007 or later and will finally be recorded against the year in which they end. As such the 2006 figures are artificially inflated.

Drugs: Licensing

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the recently published consultation paper from the Government of Guernsey on the regulation of medicines; what response she plans to make to that consultation; and if she will press the Guernsey authorities to end the trade in marketing unlicensed medicines to UK mainland consumers;
	(2)  what resources the  (a) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and  (b) Food Standards Agency have available to deploy in relation to the export to UK mainland consumers of unlicensed medicines and illegal food supplements by companies based in the Channel Islands; and what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of enforcement action by those agencies.

Caroline Flint: The legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, an Executive agency of the Department, does not apply to the Channel Islands. The Islands have their own legislative assemblies. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is currently considering the consultation paper from the Government of Guernsey and no response has yet been formulated. The deadline for comments is 10 April 2007. The consultation will be used as part of the ongoing dialogue between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Guernsey authorities to control the marketing of illegal products.
	Reports of illegal medicinal products made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are investigated by the Medicines Borderline Section and/or the Enforcement and Intelligence Unit depending on the type of offence and regardless of the country of origin. These activities are reviewed through the agency's management structure. If the company is outside the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's jurisdiction, it is referred to the relevant regulatory authority.
	I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that local authorities have responsibility for enforcing the requirements of food law and have resources to control all foods. The Food Standards Agency does not maintain a central record of such resources. The Food Standards Agency assesses the adequacy of local authority controls through its audit programme.

Health: Inequalities

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of changes in health inequality between people in each income decile since 1996-97; what targets she has set in relation to reducing health outcome inequalities; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There are no recent assessments of changes in health inequality between people by income decile since 1996-97. The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The following tables show the targets the Government have set in relation to reducing health outcome inequalities.
	Health inequalities are unacceptable and tackling them is a top priority for the Government. We have established the most comprehensive programme ever in this country to address them, including a range of challenging targets.
	
		
			  Departmental public service agreement (PSA) targets, Spending Review (SR) 2002 
			  PSA target  Measure 
			  Target 11  
			 By 2010 reduce inequalities in health outcomes by 10 per cent. as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth Mortality in infancy by social class: the gap in infant mortality between "routine and manual" groups and the population as a whole 
			  Life expectancy by local authority: the gap between the fifth of areas with the lowest life expectancy at birth and the population as a whole 
			  Baseline year is average of 1997, 1998 and 1999 
		
	
	
		
			  Departmental PSA targets, SR2004 
			  PSA target  Measure 
			  Target 1  
			 Substantially reduce mortality rates by 2010. From heart disease and stroke and related diseases by at least 40 per cent. in people under 75, with a 40 per cent. reduction in the inequalities gap between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead Group) and the population as a whole Death rate from heart disease, strokes and related illnesses among people aged under 75. 
			 From cancer by at least 20 per cent. in people under 75 with at least a reduction in the inequalities gap of at least 6 per cent. between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead Group) and the population as a whole Death rate from cancer among people aged under 75. 
			   
			  Target 2  
			 Reduce health inequalities by 10 per cent. by 2010 as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth Mortality in infancy by social class: the gap in infant mortality between "routine and manual" groups and the population as a whole 
			  Baseline is average of 1997, 1998 and 1999 
			  Life expectancy by local authority: the gap between the fifth of areas with the "worst health and deprivation indicators" (the Spearhead Group) and the population as a whole 
			  Baseline year is average of 1995, 1996 and 1997 
			   
			  Target 3  
			  Tackle the underlying determinants of health and health inequalities by:  
			 Reducing adult smoking rates to 21 per cent. or less by 2010, with a reduction in prevalence among routine and manual groups to 26 per cent. or less Smoking: reduction in numbers of adult (26 per cent.) and routine/manual (31 per cent.) groups of smokers (2002-03 baselines). Prevalence from General Household survey 
			 Halting the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole (joint target with the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport). Obesity: prevalence of obesity as defined by National BMI percentile classification for children aged between two and 10 years (inclusive) measured through the Health Survey for England. Baseline year is weighted average for three-year period 2002-04 
			 Reducing the under 18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010, as part of a broader strategy to improve sexual health (joint target with the Department for Education and Skills) Teenage conceptions: the under 18 conception rate is the number of conceptions to under 18-year-olds per thousand females aged 15-17. Baseline year is 1998. ONS Conception Statistics

Health Professionals: Crimes of Violence

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to support staff who are assaulted in the line of duty.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	In April 2003 the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for tackling violence against national health service staff, together with all other security related issues in the NHS in England. A comprehensive strategy has been implemented detailing both preventative and re-active action to be taken to tackle this problem both nationally and locally.
	Guidance has been issued to every health body in England setting out the support that should be offered at a local level, including arranging for counselling services if required, to staff that have experienced violence and abuse.
	The NHS SMS have formed a legal protection unit (LPU) which advises health bodies on the appropriate action to take against alleged offenders. The LPU also considers private prosecutions on behalf of those who have been assaulted where the prosecuting authorities have declined to take action, and the circumstances are such that action is appropriate. This includes seeking redress.

Health Services: EC Action

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what aspects of public health promotion are within the competency of the European Union.

Caroline Flint: Most competence for action in the field of public health remains with the member states, but the European Union has the responsibility, set out in the treaty, to undertake certain actions which complement the work done by member states.
	Article 152 of the EC treaty covers public health. It states that a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all community policies and activities; and that community action should be directed towards improving public health, preventing human illness and diseases, and obviating sources of danger to human health and complement national policies. The article also encourages co-operation between the community and member states on public health.
	In practice, EU work on public health often focuses on facilitating the exchange of information, knowledge and best practice among member states and covers many issues, from the general (eg health inequalities) to the specific (eg, action on alcohol use). Article 152(4) also sets out specific areas, e.g. standards for quality and safety for blood, in which legislative measures can be adopted by the Commission in this field. EU legislation that has a beneficial effect on public health has also been adopted on the basis of other parts of the treaty (eg, tobacco packaging legislation, based on Article 95 which relates to the internal market).

Health Services: Prisons

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the NHS taking on responsibility for medical services in prisons.

Rosie Winterton: On 1 April 2003, the responsibility for health services in the publicly run prisons in England was transferred from HM Prison Service to the national health service. Funding was transferred to the NHS in stages, and this transfer process completed on schedule in April 2006. The responsibility for commissioning prison health services in the publicly-run prisons in England has therefore been fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts.
	Some £118 million in funding for these services was transferred in 2003. During 2006-07 nearly £200 million will be invested in prison healthcare.
	Prisoners requiring more complex medical treatments receive it in NHS hospitals, as they did when HM Prison Service had responsibility for prison healthcare.

Hepatitis: Nurses

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist hepatitis C virus nurses worked in England in each of the last 10 years; how many such nurses are working in each strategic health authority; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The annual national health service workforce census does not separately identify hepatitis C virus nurses from the rest of the nursing workforce.

Incontinence

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expert advice was taken by her Department prior to its classification of incontinence products in the consultation document on Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Caroline Flint: The classification of incontinence products was not included in the consultation paper related to arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff but in a companion paper: arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff.
	To address the challenge of classifying some 5,800 items, advice was taken from four independent experts. The experts were selected based on their experience and breadth of knowledge and each is currently practising. Furthermore, to ensure objectivity, the Department selected individuals who are not sponsored by a manufacturer. However, each has contacts within industry and knowledge of the latest products being introduced to the market.

Independent Treatment Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 1824-25W, on independent treatment centres, what the utilisation rate of independent sector treatment centres was in each month since June 2006.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  2006  Independent sector treatment centre utilisation (percentage) 
			 June 85 
			 July 87 
			 August 84 
			 September 83 
			  Notes: 1. Figures include the mobile ophthalmology service but exclude the general supplementary contracts, the national contract for MRI services, and the pathfinder schemes. Utilisation is measured on the basis of value rather than activity to allow for the variations which can occur through substitution of activity between procedures of varying value. 2. Figures are subject to the reconciliation of some contracts. 3. The Department procured independent sector capacity on the basis of capacity planning exercises conducted through strategic health authorities where the additional capacity in elective treatment and diagnostics required to meet key public service agreement waiting times targets was estimated. Where the estimates of demand have not been met so far in a contract the Department is working with the national health service and independent providers to ensure contracts deliver best value over the life of the contract.

Infection Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the average cost of treating an episode of infection by  (a) methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus and  (b) Clostridium difficile; and what her most recent estimate is of the overall cost in a year of treating healthcare-associated infections in the NHS.

Ivan Lewis: Precise data are not available.

Maternity Services: Manpower

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what projections her Department has made of the number of  (a) midwives,  (b) consultant obstetricians and  (c) consultant gynaecologists required within the NHS over the next 10 years;
	(2)  how many  (a) midwives,  (b) consultant obstetricians and  (c) consultant gynaecologists have been trained since 1997; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many  (a) midwives,  (b) consultant obstetricians and  (c) consultant gynaecologists there are in each region covered by strategic health authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Local national health service organisations are responsible for developing maternity services in response to the needs of their local population, and for ensuring that they have sufficient staff, with the right skills, to offer appropriate choices.
	The number of registrar group doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table. These are the doctors training to be consultants.
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services (HCHS): registrar group doctors within the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty England—as at 30 September each year 
			   Registrar group 
			 1997 919 
			 1998 944 
			 1999 1,001 
			 2000 939 
			 2001 950 
			 2002 1,014 
			 2003 973 
			 2004 1,099 
			 2005 1,290 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care—Medical and Dental Workforce Census 
		
	
	The number of midwives entering training in each year since 1997 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Degree  Diploma  Other  Total 
			 1996-97 161 498 993 1,652 
			 1999-2000 395 620 757 1,772 
			 2001-02 621 525 732 1,878 
			 2002-03 709 724 677 2,110 
			 2003-04 753 716 757 2,226 
			 2004-05 895 744 735 2,374 
			 2005-06 1,042 517 661 2,220 
			  Source: Quarterly Monitoring Returns 
		
	
	The number of midwives and consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology in each strategic health authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in England in each specified area of work by strategic health authority area as at 30 September 2005 
			  Headcount 
			   Consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology  Qualified midwifery staff 
			 England 1,458 24,808 
			 North East Strategic Health Authority area 95 1,274 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority area 195 3,887 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority area 149 2,539 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 104 1,757 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority area 149 2,816 
			 East of England Strategic Authority area 126 2,352 
			 London Strategic Health Authority area 315 4,338 
			 South East Strategic Authority area 107 1,779 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority area 92 1,644 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority area 126 2,422 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental and non-medical workforce census

Mental Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2007,  Official Report, column 944W, on mental health services, which mental health trusts were found not to have contributed disproportionately to savings made by the local health economy in 2006-07 following investigation by her Department's recovery and support unit.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	The trusts that I referred to in my previous reply to the hon. Gentleman were Berkshire Healthcare National Health Service Trust, North Essex Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust.

Mentally Ill: Community Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date she received from the researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry  (a) the first draft and  (b) the final version of the report which her Department commissioned to look at international experiences of implementing community treatment orders.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	An early draft of the literature review, which looks at international experiences of using community treatment orders, was received by the Department on 18 August 2006. The report then underwent the standard process of peer review. A revised report in response to the peer review was received on 1 February 2007. The final version of the report was received on 15 February 2007.

Mentally Ill: Community Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which individuals participated in the peer review of the report which her Department commissioned to look at international experiences of implementing community treatment orders; and what criteria were used for their selection.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 March 2007
	The Department's policy research programme considers peer reviewers' completed responses confidential and so it would be inappropriate to release individual names.
	The Department selected three peer reviewers, two from the United Kingdom and one outside the UK. The criteria used for the selection of peer reviewers are as follows:
	highly qualified in the area that they are being asked to review—including a strong track record of publication in the field;
	recognised authority in the subject area;
	have current or recent relevant active research experience; and
	have expertise in research methods, for example, in this case a systematic review.

MRSA: North-east Region

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA were recorded in  (a) Sunderland Royal Hospital,  (b) Hartlepool University Hospital and  (c) Durham University Hospital in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The number of reports of meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia recorded at the City Hospitals Sunderland National Health Service Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust from April 2004 to September 2006 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers of MRSA bacteraemias April 2004-September 2006 
			  Acute hospital trust  April 2004-March 2005  April 2005-March 2006  April-September 2006 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland 47 47 22 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool 13 30 21 
			 County Durham and Darlington 47 36 29 
			  Note: Information on MRSA bacteraemia in individual hospitals is not published routinely, as it has only been collected at hospital level since October 2005. Prior to this date numbers of MRSA bacteraemia were recorded six-monthly by NHS acute trust only. The Department and the Health Protection Agency are currently considering the publication of the more detailed data, gained through the enhanced recording system.  Source: Health Protection Agency (HPA) 
		
	
	Tackling MRSA is a priority for both the Government and the NHS. A target has been set to halve the number of MRSA bloodstream infections by 2008 with each NHS acute trust having its own target to achieve. The latest data showing MRSA numbers between January to September 2006 were published by the HPA on 30 January 2007.

National Blood Service: Reorganisation

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on staff of the way in which changes to the National Blood Service estate were communicated to them.

Caroline Flint: The National Blood Service (NBS) has established a group comprising senior managers and staff-side representatives to discuss the implications of the changes and how to implement policies designed to reduce any adverse impact on staff, such as redeployment. The NBS expects to manage many of the post reductions through natural turnover and reduce the impact on staff to the absolute minimum.

National Patient Safety Agency

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much salary the joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency have received since they stopped work; how much salary has been paid in that period to the acting chief executive; and what the cost is of the retirement packages for the joint chief executives.

Ivan Lewis: The joint chief executives have each received a salary of £53,481 from 7 July 2006 to the end January 2007. They will receive a further £7,912 each per month for February and March 2007. They retire on 31 March 2007. The cost of the early retirement has yet to be finalised.
	In the interim period and up to the end of January 2007 the acting chief executive has received a salary of £78,419.

National Patient Safety Agency

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans she has for the National Patient Safety Agency; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps have been taken to address the concerns set out in the Public Accounts Committee report on the National Patient Safety Agency in 2006.

Ivan Lewis: Following the publication of the National Audit Office report "A safer place for patients: learning to improve patient" safety in November 2005, the Chief Medical Officer commissioned a review of the organisational arrangements in place to support patient safety. It was explicitly aimed at addressing the issues raised in the NAO report and its concerns with the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), as well as looking at the national health service's approach to patient safety more widely.
	The resulting report "Safety first: A report for patients, clinicians and healthcare managers" was published in December 2006 and is available in the Library. It makes fourteen recommendations including the following about the NPSA's core function:
	"The role of the NPSA should be refocused on its core objective of collecting and analysing patient safety data to inform rapid patient safety learning, priority setting and coordinated activity across the NHS. A number of current functions, for example the development of technical solutions to improve patient safety, presently delivered by the organisation should in future be commissioned from other expert organisations with the requisite expertise"
	The Department is working closely with the agency in taking forward this and other recommendations in which the agency has an interest.
	The agency will continue to have responsibility for the additional functions that it took on following the review of arm's length bodies in 2005. These include work on safety aspects of hospital design, cleanliness and food; the Central Office for Research Ethics Committees the National Clinical Assessment Service and managing the contracts of the three national confidential enquiries.

NHS Bank

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Bank  (a) received,  (b) loaned and  (c) recovered in each year since it was established; and if she will make a statement on its operation.

Andy Burnham: The NHS Bank is funded from a central allocation from the Department of Health. The contributions received and repayments made by strategic health authority (SHA) in each year since 2002 are set out as follows:
	
		
			  NHS special assistance funding provided 
			  £ million 
			   Avon Gloucester and Wiltshire  Surrey and Sussex  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire  Thames Valley  Kent and Medway  Total 
			 2002-03 45 30 25 — — 100 
			 2003-04 70 40 — 25 17 152 
			 2004-05 40 20 — 10 — 70 
			 2005-06 20 — — — (8) 12 
			 2006-07 — (7) — (5) — (12) 
			  175 83 25 30 9 322 
		
	
	In addition to the distribution of special assistance funding, the NHS Bank also managed the brokerage of cash and capital resources between SHAs, from its inception in 2003 until 2005-06. The NHS Bank provided funding to SHAs only. The Bank does not provide repayable loans to PCTs and NHS trusts. The distribution of funding to individual organisations is the responsibility of the relevant SHA.
	Any cash contributed from, or received by, an SHA under these arrangements was returnable in full in the following financial year. In addition, a one-off cash rebasing was carried out in 2003-04 that was not returnable the following year. The following table summarise all brokerage and cash rebasing that was managed through the NHS Bank.
	
		
			  NHS cash brokerage 
			  £ million 
			Brokerage received  Brokerage issued  Net position 
			 2003-04 New brokerage 170 483 313 
			  Cash Rebasing — 212 212 
			 2004-05 Prior yr reversal 483 170 313 
			  New brokerage 410 317 93 
			 2005-06 Prior yr reversal 317 410 93 
			  New brokerage 372 660 288 
			   660 372 288 
		
	
	From 2006-07, cash support to NHS trusts will be provided by interest bearing loans and deposits issued by the Department.

NHS: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strategic health authority agreed recovery plans have been breached in the last two years.

Andy Burnham: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) agree financial recovery plans for the individual organisations within their patch. Financial recovery plans are not agreed for the SHA itself. However, SHAs have a net target to break-even across their patch each year. Their latest performance against that target was published on 20 February in our national health service finance report for quarter three of 2006-07. Copies of this report are available in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration is given to the internal budgetary conditions of primary care trusts when setting the  (a) amount and  (b) proportion of the trust's budget represented by the trust's contribution to London-wide NHS reserves; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Returning the national health service to overall financial balance has been a key priority in 2006-07. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have taken responsibility for developing and implementing financial and operational strategies to both manage and improve the financial position within their overall area. As part of this strategy, SHAs have top sliced resource allocations made to their primary care trusts (PCTs), thereby creating SHA reserves.
	SHAs have agreed an appropriate level of contribution to these reserves with their PCTs thereby allowing the SHA to deliver the financial planning target for its economy. The level of any contributions is based on the financial and service circumstances of individual organisations, and is always underpinned by the principle of fairness.
	We expect SHAs to maintain the integrity of the allocations system, with contributing PCTs being entitled to repayment of their contributions over a reasonable period, not usually exceeding the three-year allocation cycle. However, SHAs will be asked to ensure that PCTs with the greatest health need are repaid first.

NHS: Low Incomes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people participated in the NHS low income scheme in each of the last five years; how the scheme is promoted; how many patients it is estimated were entitled to assistance but did not receive it in the last 12 months; how much the scheme cost to operate in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The estimated number of people who have made a national health service low income scheme claim in England and the estimated cost of operating the scheme is in the table. The number of claims has been estimated from annual samples.
	
		
			   Estimated number of low income scheme HC1 claims for England (thousand)  Estimated direct cost per claim to operate the scheme (£) 
			 2005-06 451 5.72 
			 2004-05 490 5.56 
			 2003-04 616 5.24 
			 2002-03 666 5.28 
			 2001-02 733 4.82 
			  Source: Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority 
		
	
	In addition the low income scheme provides income-related help to recipients of income support, income based jobseeker's allowance, pension credit guarantee credit and child tax credit or working tax credit with a disability or severe disability element whose gross annual income is £15,050 or less. They do not need to make a separate HC1 claim.
	No separate assessment has been made of the number of people who would have been entitled to assistance but did not make an HC1 claim during the previous 12 months.
	The Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority operates the scheme in respect of England, Scotland and Wales and is responsible for publicising the scheme in England on behalf of the Department of Health. Information is provided in leaflet "HC11—Help With Health Costs" which is available from Jobcentre Plus offices and NHS hospitals. Dentists, opticians, pharmacists and doctors may also provide them. PPD produces a poster for general display and, with the National Union of Students, a poster for display in higher educational establishments. In addition, PPD has commissioned a series of advertisements which are soon to appear in popular magazines.

NHS: Reorganisation

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the most recent reorganisation of primary care trusts in  (a) Essex and  (b) England.

Andy Burnham: The Department estimates that total redundancy costs arising as a result of the commissioning a patient led national health service initiative will be £325 million. These figures are difficult to estimate, and will only become firmer as new structures are put in place in strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and ambulance trusts.
	The reconfiguration of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities provides an opportunity to deliver savings, both by reducing the number of organisations and through the greater sharing of functions. By 2008, this reconfiguration is expected to deliver at least £250 million savings each year for re-investment in frontline services.

NHS: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the multi-professional education and training budget she estimates has been used by strategic health authorities to offset deficits elsewhere in the NHS economy in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; what assessment she has made of the effect this has had on training across the NHS; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: In 2005-06 it is estimated that £136 million or 3.5 per cent. of the multi professional education and training budget was not spent on education and training. In some cases this was the genuine result of slippage (usually due to late allocations, under recruitment to courses and delays to projects). In other cases strategic health authorities (SHA) have sought to generate brokerage to contribute to the overall national health service financial position. It is impossible to distinguish between these elements. Strategic health authorities delivered 1,500 less nurse and 100 allied health profession training places than planned in 2005-06.
	In 2006-07, it is estimated that £340 million or 9 per cent. of the multi professional education and training budget has been used by SHA to offset deficits elsewhere in the national health service economy.

Nurses: Manpower

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist stoma nurses are working within the NHS; and how many are sponsored by Dispensing Appliance Contractors.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally. It is for local trusts to commission and deploy stoma care nurses in accordance with their local needs. Where agreements have been made for alternate funding of these posts, this is a local matter.

Nurses: Pay

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on nurses between  (a) 1987 and 1997 and  (b) 1997 and 2007.

Rosie Winterton: The following table, shows data for 14 years from 1991-92 to 2005-06 (the earliest and latest years for which this information is available).
	
		
			  Expenditure on Nurses for NHS trusts, health authorities, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities from 1991-92 to 2005-06 
			  £000 
			   Trust  DHA/HA  PCT  SHA  Total 
			 1991-92 764,865 5,110,049 — — 5,874,914 
			 1992-93 2,091,859 4,139,133 — — 6,230,992 
			 1993-94 3,962,279 2,277,884 — — 6,240,163 
			 1994-95 5,907,734 409,133 — — 6,316,867 
			 1995-96 6,297,498 86,582 — — 6,384,080 
			 1996-97 6,475,855 10,027 — — 6,485,882 
			 1997-98 6,623,914 7,467 — — 6,631,381 
			 1998-99 6,974,053 8,037 — — 6,982,090 
			 1999-2000 7,681,445 10,484 — — 7,691,929 
			 2000-01 8,248,441 13,266 76,136 — 8,337,843 
			 2001-02 8,546,046 19,099 814,552 — 9,379,697 
			 2002-03 8,223,334 — 2,008,043 1,125 10,232,502 
			 2003-04 8,735,051 — 2,159,738 1,333 10,896,122 
			 2004-05 8,740,904 — 2,470,142 1,711 11,212,757 
			 2005-06 8,793,091 — 2,727,585 1,373 11,522,049 
			  Note:  Excludes NHS Foundation Trusts 2004-05 to 2005-06  Sources: NHS Trusts Financial Returns 1991-92 to 2005-06 Health Authorities Financial Returns 1996-97 to 2001-02 Primary Care Trusts Financial Returns 2000-01 to 2005-06 Strategic Health Authorities Financial Returns 2002-03 to 2005-06 Regional and District Health Authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals Financial Returns 1991-92 to 1995-96

Nurses: Pay

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average pay is of a qualified nurse; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 6 March 2007
	The annual average earnings per head for a qualified nurse (full-time equivalent—FTE) in the national health service in 2005-06, which is the latest available year, is £29,010.
	 Notes:
	Earnings per head (FTE) is derived using full-time equivalent staff numbers. Earnings figures include the on-costs of employment. Earnings are estimated using on-cost figures in financial returns (these are not broken down by staff group or grade).
	 Source:
	Department of Health financial returns. We use the sum of the pay bill from each of these returns. We also add on the pay bill from foundations trusts which is taken for the foundation trusts annual report.

Patients

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on the ability of patients with long-term conditions to self care of the proposed changes to the remuneration of services relating to Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Caroline Flint: The Department believes that the current terms of service as laid out in the National Health Service Pharmaceutical Services Regulations and remuneration for some stoma and incontinence appliances do not deliver consistent levels of service provision. Therefore, it proposes to define the terms of service and is seeking views on the proposed specification at present. The required specification is set out in the consultation document entitled "Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff".
	It has always been a stated objective of the consultation process that patient care will be maintained and, where applicable, improved. Throughout the review of these arrangements, which began in October 2005, the Department has consulted a number of patient organisations and clinicians in order to ascertain patient need and the level of services provided by dispensing contractors to meet those needs.
	The current consultation on service specification and remuneration closes on 2 April 2007. The Department intends to publish a summary of responses to as soon as is practical, and in any case within three months of the closing date. This summary will be available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/consultations/responsestoconsultations/fs/en

Queens Hospital Romford: Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for accident and emergency services at the new Queen's hospital in Romford has been since its opening.

Andy Burnham: This information is not held in the format requested. However, 96.9 per cent. of patients at Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals National Health Service Trust, which the Queen's hospital in Romford is part of, spent under four hours between arrival and admission and transfer or discharge in the period September 2006 to December 2006.

Royal Preston Hospital: Waiting Lists

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for  (a) inpatient,  (b) day cases and  (c) outpatient appointments in Royal Preston hospital in each year since 1992.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Median waiting time (weeks) 
			  Organisation  Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust 
			  Year  Month  Inpatient ordinary admission  Inpatient daycase admission  First outpatient appointment 
			 1994 March 19.6 7.7 6.5 
			 1995 March 11.4 8.6 7.3 
			 1996 March 12.4 7.9 7.6 
			 1997 March 13.3 10.3 7.3 
			 1998 March 12.5 10.0 8.3 
			 1999 March 15.9 10.8 7.0 
			 2000 March 14.1 9.1 8.9 
			 2001 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2004 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2005 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 December n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 
			  Year  Month  Inpatient ordinary admission  Inpatient daycase admission  Outpatient appointment 
			 1994 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 March 17.2 12.9 8.2 
			 1996 March 16.2 13.1 5.6 
			 1997 March 17.5 13.0 6.2 
			 1998 March 17.8 11.9 7.5 
			 1999 March 16.3 10.1 8.3 
			 2000 March 12.9 10.0 8.0 
			 2001 March 12.6 9.5 7.7 
			 2002 March 12.0 9.6 8.6 
			 2003 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2004 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2005 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 December n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 
			  Year  Month  Inpatient ordinary admission  Inpatient daycase admission  First outpatient appointment 
			 1994 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1995 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002 March n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003 March 11.8 9.3 7.4 
			 2004 March 12.0 8.9 7.0 
			 2005 March 9.5 7.7 7.1 
			 2006 March 9.1 7.2 6.6 
			 2006 December 8.4 5.9 5.3 
			  Notes: Inpatient waiting time based on median wait of those still waiting at end of period. Outpatient waiting times based on time waited for those seen during the quarter. Prior to the financial year 2000-01, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust existed as two separate trusts—Chorley and South Ribble NHS Trust and Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. In 2000-01 these trusts merged (with part of Chorley being allocated to another trust), keeping the name Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. In the financial year 2002-03, this became Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.  Sources: Department of Health, KHO7 and QM08s

Southampton General Hospital

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Southampton General Hospital has signed an exclusivity agreement with a company to provide food from two outlets on the site; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in December 2006 makes it clear that the national health service should set an example in developing public health policies, including promoting healthy food and drink choices. This will include restaurants, vending machines and other food outlets whether directly provided by the organisation or by third parties.
	NHS trusts are locally responsible for decisions relating to the provision of all food to patients, staff and visitors. NHS trusts are encouraged to generate income by making best use of their assets and this can include the provision of retail services of the type to which the hon. Gentleman refers. The precise contractual arrangements will depend on the individual scheme and the local situation.